No future now? Dystopias and apocalypses

Unfortunately, the conference has to be postponed. We will inform you about the new date as soon as possible. We apologise for this.

In times of crisis, dystopian and apocalyptic fiction is very popular. The fear of the imminent end of familiar living conditions and the ecological balance as well as the factors stabilising social order can be traced back to the oldest literary testimonies of humankind. And even today, in the light of an ongoing global crisis situation of the Anthropocene, the genres of dystopia and (post-)apocalypse are experiencing a new heyday, whose expositors not only inscribe themselves in the established literary models and lines of tradition, but have also found their way into youth literature with sometimes overwhelming commercial success.

The interdisciplinary conference aims to trace historical lines of development in literature, visual arts and film as well as to outline current tendencies that can be more precisely defined and classified against this background. Questions of cultural and media conditions will be addressed as well as ideological orientations and intentions. Connected to this is the problem of the respective reception, which is particularly relevant in the case of youth literature. How much fear of the future can young readers be expected to bear? And do such fictional horror scenarios indirectly contribute to the establishment of youth protest movements (from the anti-nuclear movement to Fridays for Future)?

Moderated by Prof. Dr. Markus May (LMU) and Dr. Christiane Raabe (IJB).

The event will be held in German.