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En la última década, el movimiento solarpunk ha surgido como una corriente política, artística y literaria que aboga por un futuro sostenible y justo. Sin embargo, algunas representaciones asociadas usualmente a esta expresión sociopolítica no cumplen con las expectativas del movimiento, promoviendo imaginarios de futuro con un menor énfasis en el poder de las comunidades para construir el porvenir. Este artículo pretende analizar tres ejemplos de estéticas solarpunk con el objetivo de desvelar los problemas conceptuales en los que caen diversas percepciones del ecooptimismo, subrayando la necesidad de una representación de las aspiraciones militantes de las que parte el solarpunk.

The national implementation of electricity generation projects directly threatens the livelihoods of local and Indigenous communities in Latin America. Therefore, it is crucial to search for solutions to energy supply considering local needs and cosmologies. This article focuses on micro-energy production in rural settlements on the Colombian Caribbean coast. The aim is to provide insights into the relationship between energy, technology, and ancestrality through the lens of solarpunk storytelling. To explore this theme, we present the «tech to embrace the sun» initiative as a case study to co-design and imagine desirable futures by the local community of Selvatorium, in La Guajira. The results consist of the development of seven future ancestral stories co-written by community members and guests, two guides to build two prototypes, and a fanzine. The project concludes with empirical and theoretical insights for development studies about sustainable energy futures.

Abstract This article argues for exploring, connecting, and applying utopian imagination, speculative design, and planetary thinking as a way forward for higher education to reimagine and move towards more hopeful planetary futures. It examines hopepunk and solarpunk perspectives on possible futures to propose a design agenda for rewidening and rewilding higher education and educational technology with utopian imagination. Firstly, the article outlines and develops a framework for wider and wilder futures in higher education, emerging from utopian thinking and desire. Secondly, it connects hopepunk with speculative design and solarpunk with planetary design to highlight and put forward rebellious strategies of hope in envisioning more preferable futures. Thirdly, it approaches the field of educational technology within the context of wide and wild education to establish four planetary orientations concerning educational technology: Higher Education for, in, with, and by the world. Taken together, the article proposes a design agenda for educational technology that integrates utopian imagination and solarpunk practices with planetary educational technology to catalyse the development of more preferable futures in a more-than-human world.

Solarpunk's commitment to the creation of hopeful and desirable futures may have transformative potential at a time when people are growing tired of the never-ending list of bad news. Its dynamic of realist audacity and radical hope makes it a fascinating genre to explore, but the importance of a third emotional state—utopian desire—is rarely mentioned explicitly. In Ruth Levitas's influential definition, utopia is "an expression of desire for a different way of living and being." The article argues that solarpunk is suffused and propelled by that desire not only in its manifold speculative storyworlds but also in its insistence on collective transformative action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focussing on a number of literary works in English(es), this article intends to show how contemporary women writers have been enacting the disruption of the polarity not only between the fantastic and the real but also between apocalyptic scenarios and the utopistic urge of subgenres like solarpunk. By embracing the concept of mixtopia, as proposed by Giuliana Misserville, I will thus attempt to prove how, in a world ravaged by climate change and shaped by A.I., several women writers bring to the fore the relevance of a technocritical approach in form and content, queering the material-semiotic nature of sci-fi itself, originally a male-dominated genre, and now a wild land of uncharted territories, full of eco-aware possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues for exploring, connecting, and applying utopian imagination, speculative design, and planetary thinking as a way forward for higher education to reimagine and move towards more hopeful planetary futures. It examines hopepunk and solarpunk perspectives on possible futures to propose a design agenda for rewidening and rewilding higher education and educational technology with utopian imagination. Firstly, the article outlines and develops a framework for wider and wilder futures in higher education, emerging from utopian thinking and desire. Secondly, it connects hopepunk with speculative design and solarpunk with planetary design to highlight and put forward rebellious strategies of hope in envisioning more preferable futures. Thirdly, it approaches the field of educational technology within the context of wide and wild education to establish four planetary orientations concerning educational technology: Higher Education for, in, with, and by the world. Taken together, the article proposes a design agenda for educational technology that integrates utopian imagination and solarpunk practices with planetary educational technology to catalyse the development of more preferable futures in a more-than-human world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the intertwining of technology, energy, and time from the Industrial Revolution to the current climate crisis, the paper investigates how the relentless pursuit of efficiency and productivity has shaped Western societies, increasing energy overconsumption and exacerbating environmental emergencies. Analysing experimental paths related to the concept of appropriate technology, such as Permaculture, Low-tech and Solarpunk, a critical view of the contemporary unsustainable development model is presented, proposing alternative paradigms that foster sustainability, equity and reconnection with natural cycles. The multidisciplinary design approach emerges as instrumental in the transition to sustainable energy practices, laying the foundation for the transition to future scenarios in which technology and nature coexist harmoniously. Article info Received: 18/03/2024; Revised: 19/04/2024; Accepted: 25/04/2024

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Copyright of Agathon: International Journal of Architecture, Art & Design is the property of DEMETRA CE.RI.MED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Celem artykułu jest zbadanie synergii słowa i działania w polskim ruchu solarpunkowym. W początkowej części autor omawia solarpunk jako podgatunek literatury science fiction o dużym potencjale futurologicznym, będący formą humanistyki zaangażowanej. Następnie skupia się na opisaniu ruchu solarpunkowego oraz analizuje go w ramach badań nad fandomem. W ostatniej części autor charakteryzuje trzy obszary działalności polskiego ruchu solarpunkowego – literacki, popularyzatorski oraz aktywistyczny.

This paper examines Darko Suvin’s and Kim Stanley Robinson’s assertion that the late-stage capitalism and neoliberalism of our world can be understood as an “antiutopia” that actively works to suppress the imagination of better futures. It argues that the relatively new science fiction sub-genre of solarpunk—which sets itself in direct opposition to the dystopian visions of the more well-known subgenre cyberpunk and imagines worlds that focus on the community rather than the individual, on environmental sustainability rather than environmental degradation, on social justice rather than subjugation and inequality, and on optimism rather than nihilism—offers some of the most promising paths toward the rejection of this antiutopia in favor of an anti-antiutopian (and therefore utopian) approach that actively works to bring about a better future. The paper suggests that the solarpunk futures currently emerging in literature, art, and online communities offer architects, landscape architects, and urban designers powerful inspiration for the future of our increasingly urban world. It examines a selection of short stories, novels, films, and other media—as well as innovative projects of urbanism—for examples of how embracing the practical utopianism of solarpunk can provide both visions of better worlds and potential paths for achieving them.

In the last century, science fiction has become an incredibly powerful tool in depicting alternative social imaginaries, particularly those of the future. Extending beyond their fictious nature is a commentary on the stark realities of modern society. The 'cyberpunk' subgenre, for example, offers a dystopian critique on the dangers of technological dependence and hypercapitalism. In studying science fiction, future imaginaries can be developed as utopian goals for governance systems to strive for. In contrast to cyberpunk, the subgenre of 'solarpunk' depicts a utopian society where humanity lives locally, sustainably, and in harmony with nature. This paper deconstructs solarpunk media to describe three guiding principles of solarpunk: anarchism, ecology, and justice. As an anarchist community, solarpunk strives for a post-scarcity, post-capitalist society devoid of hierarchy and domination. As an ecological community, solarpunk strives for local, self-sufficient, and sustainable living where both the human and non-human flourish. Finally, as a just community, solarpunk strives to rid society of marginalization and celebrate authenticity. These three principles can be used to guide humanity towards a utopian, solarpunk future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay examines the traits and pedagogical potential of the solarpunk artistic and narrative movement by analyzing the specific case study of Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). The article first presents solarpunk and its association with environmental themes and successively applies the genre's theoretical framework to the case study, as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind shares some of the movement's approaches and aesthetics in relation to sustainability. The essay concludes with a pedagogical reflection on the potential of solarpunk to imagine and create sustainable worlds. Although this artistic movement is not explicitly aimed at a young audience, solarpunk stories (or a solarpunk reading of different narratives) could lead to a new understanding of the ongoing climate change and to a constructive call for environmental responsibility starting from a young age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay discusses images of the future in solarpunk and post-apocalyptic fiction, focusing on their distinct approach to the narratives of progress, science, and individualism. The dystopian perspective of post-apocalyptic fiction is juxtaposed with the hopeful stance of solarpunk stories in order to outline the attempts to move beyond environmental pessimism and to imagine a liveable future. A reading of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006), Erik M. Conway and Naomi Oreskes’s The Collapse of Western Civilization (2014), and Omar El Akkad’s American War (2017) provides an overview of early 21st-century dystopian motifs and visions, while the ideas and development of solarpunk fiction are discussed on the basis of three anthologies of short stories: Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Ecospeculation (2017), Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers (2018), and Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures (2021). The aim of the essay is to argue that apocalyptic and solarpunk fiction stand in a relationship of apposition to one another, representing dominant and emergent structures of feeling.

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El propósito de este estudio es el de realizar una cartografía sintetizada (pero crítica) de la representación de temáticas ecotecnológicas en ficciones solarpunk estadounidenses, principalmente a través de las compilaciones de historias cortas disponibles en el mercado editorial. Así, el texto analiza la evolución del género desde su conceptualización original como ciencia ficción blanda hasta vertientes actuales en las que predomina un interés renacido en la ciencia ficción dura. Estas últimas muestran un interés en visualizar herramientas tecnológicas potencialmente implementables para paliar los efectos del cambio climático, así como para solventar otros aspectos de la degradación ambiental de corte antropogénico. El texto se inicia con una breve exploración de la historia del género para posteriormente abordar tanto los comentarios de los editores de los compendios de relato breve publicados enmarcados en estas ficciones como algunas de las historias que lo componen. El texto, adicionalmente, explora la forma en la que el solarpunk, claramente en sintonía con la filosofía poshumanista, ha modelado su estética, mensaje y ethos político a lo largo de la última década con el objeto de visibilizar posibles futuros optimistas en los que la industrialización ha podido sobrevivir y coexistir con un planeta autosostenible en el Antropoceno.

Since 1959, when C.P. Snow delivered his seminal lecture The Two Cultures on the lack of understanding between scholars working in the humanities and their colleagues from science departments, the gap between the two groups has been one of the most notorious clichés of contemporary Western culture. The aim of this article is to show that this seemingly insurmountable abyss between sciences and the humanities that was brought to the forefront during the mid-20th century is slowly receding into history. Literature studies today is heavily indebted to modern science. Biology (especially evolutionary biology), physics (especially quantum physics), and ecology (especially the Anthropocene studies) are among the most important subjects scholars of literature have to take into account. In order to prove this point I shortly describe literary genres which introduce modern science to the readers: science fiction, cyberpunk, solarpunk, lablit, quantum fiction, and cli-fi. I also refer to the newly-emerged schools of criticism-science fiction studies, ecocriticism and evocriticism-to show how scholars discuss these texts within the framework of the humanities. Additionally, I give a sample discussion of one of the cli-fi’s classics, J.G. Ballard’s The Drowned World and also shortly discuss two science fiction novels concerned with the civilisational conflict between science and humanities: Stanislaw Lem’s His Master’s Voice and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake.

The article seeks to identify common motifs and narrative structures in the emerging genre of solarpunk. The research presented covers short stories from five anthologies: Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation (2017), Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World (2018), Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers (2018), Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Winters (2020), and Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures (2021). Based on the ideas and methods of formalism and structuralism developed by Vladimir Propp and Claude Lévi-Strauss, the analysis allows for a systematic description of the common elements of the stories. The purpose is to determine the properties of the emerging genre of solarpunk in terms of story types and relations between them, types of plots and their varieties, constellations of characters, and the recurring motifs. The analysis shows that a range of common elements can be identified across the stories in the anthologies. The most obvious is the ubiquity of solar imageries, spanning from descriptions of sunshine to the technicalities connected with solar panels. The issue of sustainability is also omnipresent, with frequent criticism of consumerism, and the strife for ecological solutions to the problems of waste management, recycling, durability of materials, and energy production is one of the main catalysts of the stories. The research established typologies of solarpunk plots and character types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an introduction to a special issue of Issues of Literary Types, which has no special topic. The author of the introduction reflects on the metaphor of the mind prober used to define a genre of a topic-free issue of a scientific journal. In the case of a scientific journal, the research area is strictly defined, as in the case of thematic issues: the area is defined by the leading subject matter. It is different in the case of an issue without a topic: the area is outlined, but what topics will stand out in the foreground depends on the current state of the collective mind. In this context, a probe as a tool for examining the collective mind of a group is an extremely attractive metaphor. One computer game program was called "Mind Prober." It tried to determine a gamer's personality and give advice based on the gamer's answers to questions. It is described as an early self-analysis program. We obviously live in the sentimental era as defined by Schiller in an essay called Naive and sentimental. We can define our time by our hopes and dreams such as solarpunk. We can refer to comedy as a genre which is better than tragedy or apocalyptic. Parabole, isomorphism in multimodality, projecting and invisible: they are all genre-like states of mind which might characterize our situation confronting crises and catastrophes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nueva Revista del Pacífico is the property of Universidad de Playa Ancha de Ciencias de la Educacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The essay discusses images of the future in solarpunk and post-apocalyptic fiction, focusing on their distinct approach to the narratives of progress, science, and individualism. The dystopian perspective of post-apocalyptic fiction is juxtaposed with the hopeful stance of solarpunk stories in order to outline the attempts to move beyond environmental pessimism and to imagine a liveable future. A reading of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (2006), Erik M. Conway and Naomi Oreskes's The Collapse of Western Civilization (2014), and Omar El Akkad's American War (2017) provides an overview of early 21st-century dystopian motifs and visions, while the ideas and development of solarpunk fiction are discussed on the basis of three anthologies of short stories: Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Ecospeculation (2017), Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers (2018), and Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures (2021). The aim of the essay is to argue that apocalyptic and solarpunk fiction stand in a relationship of apposition to one another, representing dominant and emergent structures of feeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Humanisticos. Filologia is the property of Universidad de Leon, Area de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this text is to reflect on how science fiction enables criticism on the road to modern technology. Imagination has allowed us to think of some ends of the world, but it has been a privileged space. Creating alternative futures for our relationship with energy is vital. Corporate renewable energy projects are emerging in corners of the planet where green capitalism has not yet reached. In this way, the creation of alternatives to centralized and corporate models of energy production, distribution, and consumption must go through new potentialities to Inhabitat new possible futures. Science fiction is a literary genre that has inspired generations of people assembling art, techno-science, utopia, and dystopia embedded in a political design. Solarpunk has consolidated itself as an area of counter-cultural hope to enable us to overcome socio-ecological injustices and increasing epistemic and ontological violence. This genre is derived from other currents such as Cyberpunk, Steampunk, and Dieselpunk, elucidating another relationship between technology, society, and nature, nourished in turn by climate sci-fi, Indigenous, and Afro-futurist science fiction. In this sense, a concept revision is made in three spheres: i) historical, based on its digital origins; ii) literary, based on the edited anthologies and iii) academic, of the reflections that it has raised. In the final section, concluding remarks are presented and the Solarpunk Manifesto, unveiled in early 2020, is shared to continue its co-creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper examines the ecologically oriented speculative fiction genre known as "solarpunk" and its value for the cause of environmental justice. This article argues that the status quo is characterized by relative inaction on the issue of fighting climate change and that this inaction is the result of an inability to imagine a "green" future. As a form of speculative fiction which explicitly depicts such green futures, solarpunk may be a valuable tool in promoting action by overcoming widespread cynicism about the future. Solarpunk fiction is thus a useful tool for sustainability educators because it encourages critical examination of one's environmental impact. This article details the ways in which solarpunk stories function as counter-hegemonic media by intertwining issues of race, gender, sexuality, class, and colonialism with an ecological ethic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]