Participants & Abstracts
Rikke Bjerg JensenUniversity of Southern Denmark
Born: Århus, Denmark 1979
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Peformance Theatre, University of Wales, Aberystwyth (2003)
Master of Arts in International Journalism, University of Westminster, London (2004)
Masters degree in Journalism and American Studies, University of Southern Denmark (current)
Primary interests: US and UK media
The novel Ecotopia (1975) presents us with a utopian vision of American society. Author Ernest Callenbach's environmental understanding inspires this tale of a newly established nation on the pacific shores of America - one which embodies the vision of a sustainable world.
The novel follows the journey of reporter William Weston, the first American reporter to be permitted entry to Ecotopia 20 years after its secession from the US. Through reports and personal notebook entries Weston portrays a society of great environmental awareness and social cohesion. His experiences force him to re-examine his personal beliefs and way of life.
The novel expresses a growing ecological awareness and is inspired by the energy crisis of the 1970's.
In this paper, we will examine the ideas expressed by Callenbach in order to relate these to the political climate of the ecological lobbist groups such as Earth First.
Moreover, we will explore the utopian ideals highlighted by Callenbach. These ideals will also be viewed in connection with other previous writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Daniel Defoe, Aldous Huxley and more. In addition, the paper will draw a parallal between the ideals of Thomas Jefferson and the possible world of tomorrow, as portrayed by Callenbach.
A version of this paper has been published in:
Envisioning American Utopias. Fictions of Science and Politics in Literature and Visual Culture.
Antje Dallmann, Reinhard Isensee, Philipp Kneis (Editors). Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2010.
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