- Author: Rocío Carrasco-Carrasco
- Journal: Utopian Studies Journal
- Year: 2024
- vol. 35 no. 2-3
- Pages: 520-541.
Abstract
Amid current global crises, the international conference “The Knock at the Door: Utopian Dreams for Post-Covid Times,” jointly organized by the University of Huelva (Spain) and the University of Calgary (Canada) on May 21-24, 2023, at the University of Huelva, provided a forum for reflecting upon the role played by speculative fiction in (re)imagining better futures, while remaining vigilant to possible threats and dangers. The title of the conference, borrowed from philosopher John Rachman (1999, 50), is intentionally ambiguous. Lying behind that door could be total liberation for all—or it could be secret police who lead us toward genocides, deportation, rapes, and mass graves. Taking this dichotomous trope, “the knock at the door,” as a point of departure, professors Larissa Lai (University of Toronto, Canada; recipient of a Maria Zambrano fellowship at the University of Huelva at the time of the interview) and Sherryl Vint (University of California Riverside, USA) engaged in a fruitful conversation, moderated by Dr. Rocio Carrasco in a hybrid format (in-person and streaming), on the second day of the conference.
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