Utopian stories may change our future!

A citizens' project with positive visions for the future

Do you dream of a brighter future? Then maybe the citizen project Utopian Stories is something for you. The project collects positive visions of the future and experiences during the pandemic, from schools and and ther public, which will then be subject to climate projections. – Greta Thunberg urges the public to listen to the researchers. But in this project, the researchers will listen to the public to investigate possible future worlds.

We are quite used to dystopian narratives about impending environmental disasters, extraterrestrial attacks or malicious artificial intelligence. However, Camilla Brudin Borg, Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies, believes that utopias, where one imagines a better world or a brighter future, are not only interesting but can also provide specific help in creating a more sustainable society. – During the pandemic, we have all had to change our behaviour: For example, we have not been able to travel or consume in the same way as before. Although we must do much more than that to help the climate, the changes have meant a step in the right direction. What we need to think about now, as we begin to return to a more normal situation, is how to take advantage of the experiences we have gained.

Therefore, the first part of the project involves investigating which lifestyle changes we have not perceived as particularly negative, which we can therefore consider continuing with.

The second part of the project is to

Camilla Brudin Borg and climate researcher Alasdair Skelton cooperate to collect utopian stories about the future.

collect creative future stories, explains Camilla Brudin Borg. – They can be about anything and do not have to be realistic at all. But they must be utopian, i.e. depict a positive development that provides hope for the future. Each participant in the project is also encouraged to try to engage four more people, so that we get people of all ages and from all possible walks of life.

The data collection will go on for one year. After that, the stories we receive must be analysed using digital technology. Camilla Brudin Borg's task will be to develop the different types of future worlds that people propose. Alasdair Skelton, Director of the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University, will also estimate the climate impact of the various proposals.

This collaboration between a literary scholar and a climate researcher is something quite special, Camilla Brudin Borg points out. – The realization that literary studies can also contribute to climate research is the project's strength. For example, when the IPCC performs calculations on the future climate, they are based on what the world looks like today. But in literature and storytelling you do not have

those kinds of constraints. We can draw inspiration from science fiction, fantasy, folk tales and dreams, or perhaps from Thomas More's Utopia from 1516.

The project is a collaboration between the Digital Humanities at the University of Gothenburg, Stockholm University, the Royal Institute of Technology and the Nobel Prize Museum. The museum will primarily focus on collaboration with schools and has produced different types of material for teachers who want to expand their participation with a thematic initiative on climate and sustainability.

The research results will eventually result in exhibitions, where visitors can experience how the climate is being impacted by our way of life. – We hope that the exhibitions will be interactive so that visitors can explore different future possible worlds, for example via an app on their phone.

The project has just started but the news has spread quickly, says Camilla Brudin Borg. – We have already received over a hundred future stories. We have also received encouraging greetings from teachers in Sweden and also from Bolivia, Vietnam, the USA and Tanzania. As our partner the Nobel Prize Museum has a large network and a variety of activities aimed at schools, the project is receiving attention both in Sweden and around the world.

The facts: Utopian stories is a citizens’ research project that collects data on lifestyle changes people made during the pandemic, and encourages schools and the general public to contribute with utopian stories about the future. The project is a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg, the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University, the Royal Institute of Technology and the Nobel Prize Museum. The Nobel Prize Museum provides teaching materials for schools in the form of lectures on utopias and dystopias. The project leader for the research is Camilla Brudin Borg, Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies at the University of Gothenburg, and Alasdair Skelton, Geologist and Climate Researcher at the Bolin Centre for Climate Research.

For more information: https://nobelprizemuseum.se/utopian-stories/.

The realization that literary studies can also contribute to climate research is the project's strength.

CAMILLA BRUDIN BORG Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg

Facts

Utopian stories is a citizens’ research project that collects data on lifestyle changes people made during the pandemic, and encourages schools and the general public to contribute with utopian stories about the future. The project is a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg, the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University, the Royal Institute of Technology and the Nobel Prize Museum. The Nobel Prize Museum provides teaching materials for schools in the form of lectures on utopias and dystopias. The project leader for the research is Camilla Brudin Borg, Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies at the University of Gothenburg, and Alasdair Skelton, Geologist and Climate Researcher at the Bolin Centre for Climate Research. For more information: https://nobelprizemuseum.se/utopian-stories/.