Utopian and Dystopian Fictions

Utopian and Dystopian Fictions
Podcast Description
Utopian and Dystopian Fictions is a podcast for scholars, thinkers, and anyone with an interest in utopian and dystopian theory, literature, film, and television. It’s hosted by Dr Matthew Leggatt (Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Winchester) and Dr Liam Knight (Independent Scholar). In each episode we interview a different academic in the field and interrogate myths and common misconceptions about the genre. If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to send us an email, using [email protected].
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes related to utopian and dystopian theory across various media, with episodes discussing topics such as Green Utopianism, the evolution of utopian literature from the 18th century, the relationship between utopia and activism, pessimistic views of utopianism, and the representation of utopia in film. For instance, Episode 6 features discussions on how literary and social movements can intersect in Green Utopianism.

Utopian and Dystopian Fictions is a podcast for scholars, thinkers, and anyone with an interest in utopian and dystopian theory, literature, film, and television. It’s hosted by Dr Matthew Leggatt (Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Winchester) and Dr Liam Knight (Independent Scholar). In each episode we interview a different academic in the field and interrogate myths and common misconceptions about the genre. If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to send us an email, using [email protected].
In this episode, we speak with Athira Unni, an Independent Scholar who holds a PhD in English from Leeds Beckett University.
In our conversation with Athira, we discuss postcolonial dystopian fiction, with a particular emphasis on South Asian and Caribbean texts. Here, Athira notes how dystopian texts from these regions reflect multiple layers of oppression. She also suggests that something which sets postcolonial dystopias apart from Western dystopian traditions is that they focus on independence, rather than revolution. Our conversation also focuses on social reproductive theory, a framework which Athira examines throughout her work, and how reading utopian and dystopian texts with this theory in mind generates new insights.
You can find out more about Athira and her work here: https://athiraunni.owlstown.net/
You can read Athira’s paper, ‘Social Reproductive Labor and Uto/Dystopia: An Analysis of Leila, Midnight Robber and Woman World‘ here.
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