Author Description

"Historical Dictionary of Utopianism contains more than 600 entries on utopian thought and experiments that span the centuries from ancient times to the present. The text not only covers utopian communities worldwide but also its principles, such as those expounded in Thomas More's Utopia, and ideas of philosophers and reformers. Included are descriptions of utopian experiments in the United States, such as those of the Shakers, Oneida, Robert Owen, as well as the Fourierists, and elsewhere throughout the world." "Major utopian literary works and dystopian novels are also profiled because they have fueled the fires of time-honored arguments about the feasiblity of creating a perfect society. From the early theoreticians who proposed political innovations and those who sought equality among people, to those who insisted on hierarchy under a supreme leader or god to those who had more practical economic, social, and ethical plans, this reference enables the reader to explore the Western desire to improve the world and the lives of its people."--Jacket.