Out Of These Ashes:

Out of these Ashes: The quest for Utopia in Critical Theory, Critical Pedagogy, Liberation Theology and Ubuntu investigates and distills the nature of utopia or the good life as articulated by those on the margins. By arguing that utopias are generally constructed against the dehumanizing nature of capitalism, this book invites its readers to examine the extent to which, according to utopian thought as manifested in critical theory, "the fully enlightened earth reflects disaster triumphant." These disciplines underscore the importance of looking outside capitalism for solutions to the rabid vampirism in advanced societies during the age of modern globalization. It is from these different ashes that a new grammar of human values emerges. While utopia is about a just society, Ubuntu asks the question and seeks to provide an answer to, what does it mean to be a human being? Without idolizing the squalor and poverty of those relegated to the garbage bins of history, utopian thought reveals that the cannibalistic nature of capitalism makes it difficult to ascribe any redemptive qualities to any of its mechanisms.