Democracy and Human Rights Program
Dystopia: Hybrids of Reality [in Spanish]
DateMay 1, 2023
BibliographyCuadernos Hispanoamericanos
AuthorHANNIG NUÑEZ Sascha
Summary On March 20, 2023, Sascha Hannig Nuñez, GGR assistant and international analyst published an article "Dystopia: Hybrids of Reality (original title: Distopías híbridas de realidad)" in the Spanish literature critic journal, Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos. Hannig Nunez discusses the concept of dystopia, referring to philosophical, political and literary sources, as a starting point for her discussion of dystopia, which crosses boundaries such as study fields, eras, and geography. First, Ms. Hannig Nunez finds commonalities with T. More's concept of utopia and dystopia’s ideological origin as coined by J. S. Mill. She also argues that the experience of control in authoritarian regimes has been reflected in dystopian works, and finds this characteristic from Y. Zamyatin under the Soviet Union to J. Baradit's in the current Chile, South America. Ms. Hannig Nunez points out that technological developments have also developed means of repression, as reflected, for example, in the literature of Kazuo Ishiguro, which incorporates cloning technology. Finally, she noted that parallels to an Orwellian world can be seen in today's reality, and warned that the banal use of the word dystopia to describe mundane situations can lead to the loss of its striking and daring meaning.