New Books in Critical Theory William M. Paris, "Race, Time, and Utopia: Critical Theory and the Process of Emancipation" (Oxford UP, 2024)
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Feb 20, 2025 
William M. Paris, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto, tackles the captivating intersections of race, time, and utopian thought. He explores how capitalist structures of time perpetuate racial domination and how historical figures like Du Bois and Fanon illuminate pathways to emancipation. Paris argues that understanding past insights can inspire contemporary social change. Topics include labor dynamics in automation, the significance of grassroots movements, and the transformative power of self-emancipation in the fight for justice.
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Utopia As A Persistent Historical Tendency
- Utopian tendencies already exist in everyday practices and can be investigated rather than dismissed as naive.
- Paris reads Ernst Bloch to show utopia as a recurring historical tendency, not an ahistorical ideal.
Pandemic Reading Sparked The Project
- Paris recounts reading Bloch online during the pandemic while watching the George Floyd protests unfold.
- That experience motivated him to reconceive utopia as a practical tendency embedded in history.
Crisis Versus Utopian Consciousness
- Crisis consciousness fragments practices by making prior expectations incoherent rather than merely raising awareness.
- Utopian consciousness strives to articulate alternative practices that resolve crisis on new terms.
