The Future Is Now: An Introduction to Prefigurative Politics

"Unpacking the actual and potential contribution of prefigurative politics, this edited volume reinvigorates and bridges ongoing debates on social movements, grassroots activism and alternative futures." Flor Avelino, Utrecht University

"In times of rapidly deepening multiple crises, radical emancipatory alternatives are needed more than ever. Opponents of such a systemic change often argue that alternatives are not viable. This fascinating volume shows that this is simply not true. Prefiguration is key if we are to rethink what the "good life" means and how we can get there." Ulrich Brand, University of Vienna

"The future, our collective future, does not simply happen – it is made. At the moment it is being engineered by corporate capitalists with dreams of dominion, but this important collection shows us how it can be grown differently. If you want to understand how organizing is politics made 'durable', then read this book." Martin Parker, University of Bristol

“As the world searches for pathways out of multiple global crises, lessons from grounded alternatives are crucial to prefiguring pluriversal transformations. By providing experiences from a wide range of situations around the world, this book is a valuable addition to literature emerging from people's movements, as well as contributing to those movements.” Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh and Global Tapestry of Alternatives

"In a world desperately needing hope, this book tackles the difficult task of the making of different worlds, through an honest interrogation of prefigurative politics. Grounded in critical thought and empirical experience, the contributions make a well-rounded offering that invites the reader into the conversation and praxis of life building." Vasna Ramasar, Lund University and Global Tapestry of Alternatives

"Monticelli’s fascinating anthology examines the notion of ‘prefiguration’ through the lenses of open marxism, ontological politics, critical management theory, deconstructive analysis, even ecofeminism. Yet the term as such, defies easy academic capture - even as an embodied prefigurative politics fires up inspiration and hope in people facing the everyday predations of a global patriarchal-capitalist-coloniality." Ariel Salleh, Global University for Sustainability

Lara Monticelli is Assistant Professor and Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

Foreword by Arturo Escobar

Introduction by Lara Monticelli

Part I: Contextualizing Prefigurative Politics

1. Prefigurative Politics Within, Despite and Beyond Contemporary Capitalism - Lara Monticelli

2. Prefiguration: Between Anarchism and Marxism - Paul Raekstad

3. Decolonizing Prefiguration: Ernst Bloch’s Philosophy of Hope and the Multiversum - Ana Cecilia Dinerstein

4. Rethinking Prefiguration: Between Radical Imagination and Imaginal Politics - Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou and Chiara Bottici

5. Prefiguration and Emancipatory Critical Pedagogy: The Learning Side of Practice - Antonia De Vita and Francesco Vittori

Part II: Prefigurative Politics in Practice

6. Prefiguration and the Futures of Work - Ana Cecilia Dinerstein and Frederick Harry Pitts

7. Prefiguration and Utopia: The Auroville Experiment - Suryamayi Aswini Clarence-Smith

8. Prefiguration in Everyday Practices: When the Mundane Becomes Political - Francesca Forno and Stefan Wahlen

9. Prefiguration and Ecology: Understanding the Ontological Politics of Ecotopian Movements - Laura Centemeri and Viviana Asara

10. The Paradox of the Commons: The Spatial Politics of Prefiguration in the Case of Christiania Freetown - Jilly Traganou

11. Prefiguring Post-Patriarchal Futures: Jineolojî’s Matristic Praxis in the Context of Rojava’s Revolution - Eleonora Gea Piccardi

Part III: Doing Research on Prefigurative Politics

12. The Concept of Prefigurative Politics in Studies of Social Movements: Progress and Caveats - Luke Yates and Joost de Moor

13. Organizing Prefiguration - Mikko Laamanen

14. Process-Time and Event-Time: The Multiple Temporalities of Prefiguration - Marianne Maeckelbergh

15. Five Challenges for Prefiguration Research: A Sympathetic Polemic - Erik Mygind du Plessis and Emil Husted

Afterword by Davina Cooper