English & Comparative Literary Studies News

Associate Fellow Dr Emrah Atasoy received an IASH Heritage Collections Research Fellowship from the University of Edinburgh to work on Archiving Futures: Utopia, Dystopia, Environmental Crisis, Identity, and Inequality in Edinburgh’s Special Collections (January-July 2026).

Project Details:

Project Title: Archiving Futures: Utopia, Dystopia, Environmental Crisis, Identity, and Inequality in Edinburgh’s Special Collections

Host Academic: Mathias Thaler, Professor of Political Theory, the School of Social and Political Science, the University of Edinburgh and Chair of Political Theory

Summary of the Project:

This project explores utopian and dystopian visions with a focus on environmental crisis through Edinburgh’s special collections. Drawing on rare books, activist archives, and historical materials, it investigates how these sources imagine identity, inequality, and resilience while engaging with questions of governance and social organisation. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the research combines literary analysis, political theory, and decolonial thought to critique anthropocentrism and structural exclusions. It examines whether speculative imaginaries reinforce exclusionary worldviews or create possibilities for more inclusive and ecologically grounded futures. By connecting archival storytelling with contemporary environmental humanities, utopian and dystopian studies, and future studies, the project aims to respond to the growing need for innovative methodologies that link cultural narratives to real-world societal challenges.