Memory, utopian thought, and globalization: a textual analysis of 'Other cities, other worlds: urban imaginaries in a globalizing age' edited by Andreas Huyssen

Francis, John James (2013). Memory, utopian thought, and globalization: a textual analysis of 'Other cities, other worlds: urban imaginaries in a globalizing age' edited by Andreas Huyssen. University of Birmingham. M.Phil.

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Abstract

This thesis argues for interdisciplinary dialogue between transnational memory studies and political and social theories of globalisation. To do so it intervenes in a particular debate that has occurred between these research fields. Opening with Fredric Jameson’s claim that memory has little contemporary significance for political action, it pits this claim against rebuttals from memory studies writers. However, this thesis also argues that Jameson’s approach ‘utopian’, future-orientated, political project offers a heightened sensitivity to questions of aesthetic and cultural representation, and that as such remains of vital importance to the field of memory studies. To unpack this proposition, this thesis compares Jameson’s utopian approach with and an edited collection by Andreas Huyssen, a seminal theorist for memory studies, titled Other Cities, Other Worlds: Urban Imaginaries in a Globalizing Age (2008) and critic of Jameson’s utopian theory. This project therefore critically explores the opportunities for solidarity with regards to questions of globalisation that an interdisciplinary reflection on memory studies and political and social theory can offer. To do this three themes common to Jameson’s work and the collected essay are investigated in three chapters: urban space, difference, and fundamentalism.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Phil.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Phil.

Supervisor(s):