New Issue of Affinities on Radical Imagination

Affinities: A Journal of Radical Theory, Culture, and Action Vol 4, No 2 (2010): “What is the Radical Imagination?”

This issue of Affinities focuses on the importance of radical imagination to radical social change.

We step in to the terrain of the imagination cognizant of its promises and its pitfalls. On the one hand, imagination brings to mind utopian fancy, a dangerous and demobilizing escapism, and forms of collective or subjective delusion which perpetuate the status-quo. On the other, the ability to imagine the world, social institutions and human (and non-human) relationships otherwise is vital to any radical project. Indeed, as numerous commentators and theorists point out, we cant do without the radical imagination, both on the level of our movements and on the level of our everyday lives – the ability to believe that things can be better -- is a key part of our social, psychological and spiritual lives (for better or for worse). But even if we acknowledge that we cant do without the radical imagination that still doesn't tell us what it is or what we might be able to do with it. These are the kinds of provocations we take up in this issue of Affinities, but without suggesting we or our contributors have anything approaching definitive answers (indeed, definitive answers may not be possible). We do, however, have an abundance of questions.

Editorials/Introductions What is the radical imagination? A Special Issue Max Haiven, Alex Khasnabish

Interventions: Struggles -------- Precariousness, Catastrophe and Challenging the Blackmail of the Imagination Franco BIFO Berardi

What is Radical Imagination? Indigenous Struggles in Canada Taiaiake Alfred

Commodity Feminism and the Unilever Corporation: Or, How the Corporate Imagination Appropriates Feminism Julie E. Dowsett

Unfixing Imaginings of the City: Art, Gentrification, and Cultures of Surveillance Phanuel Antwi, Amber Dean

Interventions: Provocations -------- Other Presents: Imagining the Human and Beyond Larissa Lai

The Uneven Development of Radical Imagination Justin Paulson

A Radical and Elitist Imagination? Political Paternities and Alternatives in the History of Ideas Chris Churchill

A few notes on the question, what is radical imagination? Petra Rethmann

Dancing Through the Crisis Randy Martin

Interventions: Openings -------- Anarchist Imaginaries Allan Antliff

Re-Imagining Revolution Judy Rebick

Giant Whispers: Narrative Power, Radical Imagination and a Future Worth Fighting For… Patrick Reinsborough

Place against Empire: Understanding Indigenous Anti-Colonialism Glen Coulthard

Interventions: Commons -------- Beyond Protest: Radical Imagination and the Global Justice Movement Rachel Elaine Strasinger

Participatory Budgeting and the Radical Imagination: In Europe but not in Canada? Terry Maley

The Disruptive Time of the Gift: (Radical) Imagination at Work in Free and Open Source Software Michael Truscello