[This is the translation of my original post in German.]

In his work „Retrotopia,“ completed shortly before his death in 2017, sociologist Zygmunt Bauman analyzes developments of the recent past. The book covers a wide range of topics, including global political phenomena such as international terrorism, global migration movements, and the rise of right-wing populists, as well as private usage patterns of modern communication tools and an increasing individual sense of loneliness and overwhelm. According to Bauman, these phenomena can be explained through what he calls „retrotopias,“ the backward-looking counterpart to utopia. Retrotopia is the desire to return to a better past, even if it is often just an idealized memory.

Bauman identifies several retrotopias in this book and demonstrates their interconnectedness. He begins with the return „to Hobbes,“ or in other words, the concept of the strong nation-state that provides its citizens with a good, civilized life, holds a monopoly on violence, and secures its borders. This desire is a reaction to the diminishing significance of nation-states and a power shift resulting from globalization, which Bauman refers to as the separation of power and politics.

Back to isolation

The next two retrotopias also play out on the political stage and are closely related to the first one: the return to the tribal fire, meaning the desire to withdraw to like-minded individuals from the same cultural circle and to distance oneself from everything foreign, and the return to social injustice, which is less of a desire and more of an silently accepted trend that aligns with the general tendency of mutual exclusion. The division between the rich, the famous „one percent,“ and the rest of humanity is depicted here as the model of two completely separate countries whose inhabitants speak different languages, belong to different cultures, and simply have nothing to do with each other.

The final retrotopia concerns the individual and manifests itself metaphorically as the desire to return to the womb. This stems from the psychological pressures experienced by individuals living in a neoliberal consumer society. In response, the desire emerges to be able to withdraw from everything, no longer having to make risky decisions, no longer being responsible for one’s own „I-incorporated“ self (see also my contribution to Wendy Brown’s „Undoing the Demos“), to find peace, and, in an exaggerated sense, to be able to return to a state of nirvana. Bauman identifies this desire as the counterpart to the medieval utopia of the land of Cockaigne. While abundance and unrestrained enjoyment could be the desired ideal in a medieval society plagued by food shortages and lack of freedom, in today’s consumer society, where everything is essentially always available and there is constant decision-making pressure, the opposite extreme, absolute emptiness and detachment, appears enticing.

Chasing after globalization

A common root of these backward-looking ills lies in globalization and the associated weakening of state power, politics, and social cohesion. However, Bauman (along with Ulrich Beck) does not see the problem in globalization itself but rather in the fact that institutions such as nation-states and even individuals‘ self-perception are lagging behind the developments of globalization, resulting in a „culture lag.“

„We do live in already advanced cosmopolitan conditions (universal planetary interdependence and interaction), but our awareness of this fact, let alone cosmopolitan consciousness, has barely progressed beyond the birth pangs stage.“

As a solution to this problem, at the end of this analysis of harmful retrotopias, Bauman proposes a genuine utopia: Humanity would need to globalize in the truest sense of the word and perceive itself as a community beyond all borders. In this lies the answer to political and social separatism, warmongering, and the impending destruction of the environment. However, Bauman points out that such a global community, the „cosmopolitically integrated humanity,“ faces a massive obstacle: Never before in the history of humanity has a group been formed without differentiating itself from „the others.“ Whether it was the Stone Age horde, the ancient polis, the nation-state, or NATO, whenever people came together, they drew a boundary that excluded someone, and it was through the exclusion of „the others“ that the actual unity was formed. Communities have always defined themselves by those who do not belong. A community that aims to include all people can no longer rely on this technique. For the first time in history, a cohesion would need to be formed that does not rely on the exclusion of „the others.“ Whether this can ever succeed is questionable, yet the book ends on an optimistic note.

Bauman’s dynamic lines

„Retrotopia“ is a dense and thought-provoking work. Bauman draws from a rich range of sources in his arguments, from classics of literary history to sociological academic publications and the latest statements by Javier Solana or Pope Francis. Through the diversity of topics and voices, he manages to encapsulate complex connections in elegant formulations. Someone once compared Bauman to an artist who paints his pictures with large brushes, with broad, sweeping lines.

This comparison also seems fitting here. It deals with the grandest connections, and the lines of connection drawn in this book are sometimes so dynamic that one needs to pause and imagine a concrete example to accompany an abstract train of thought. Despite the elegant abstractions, however, one does not get the feeling of being presented with a simplified version of reality. Bauman always seems to strike the right tone, and even though the lines may be broad and powerful, an overall coherent picture emerges. That is what is truly impressive about this book.

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About this webpage:

I write a blog about German and international literature. Based on these posts, I also produce a podcast and videos for my youtube channel, both in German. Further English translations are coming.