Utopian dimension of culture: theory and social practices

The paper gives a brief insight into the history of the utopian tradition in Russian culture. It includes both genre works and cultural texts that do not fit into the genre (folk legends, political treatises, architectural projects, etc.). The stages of studying utopia in our country and abroad are revealed; the reasons for the rise or fall of research interest to utopia in certain periods of time are explained. It is shown that the disagreement in the conclusion about the “death of utopia” was expressed in the appearance of numerous publications on utopia, the organization of conferences that gather researchers from all over the world. The most interesting projects of recent years and current directions of utopian studies are analyzed. Among them there are the interaction of utopia and dystopia, the correlation of utopian genre and utopian intention, utopian idea and practice, Russian and Western European utopias. Can utopia turn into a “critical tool” and participate in largescale transformations of political institutions and systems, or is it destined to remain a literary genre? These and many other problems were discussed at scientific conferences within the framework of the scientific direction “Utopian projects in the History of Culture” developed by the Institute of Philosophy and Social and Political Sciences of the Southern Federal University.