PoLAR: Theory for the World to Come

Review of Theory for the World to Come by Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer

Can social theories forge new paths into an uncertain future?The central claim of this book is that anthropologists and, more broadly, societies, have much to learn from speculative fiction—what is often referred to as sci‐fi. The legitimization of university‐produced and accredited knowledge as the one true way of knowing the world, Wolf‐Meyer suggests, “has resulted in social theory seeming to be the property of academics, with speculative fiction being the realm of nonacademics” (p. 6) In his attempt to put social theory and speculative fiction into dialogue, Wolf‐Meyer joins the ranks of the likes of Ursula K. Le Guin, Chad Oliver and, more recently, Donna Haraway.

 

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