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Aug 22, 2018 | #1
Analysis Paper of the Utopia in Ecotopia
The novel Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach is about a country, Ecotopia that is an ecological utopia. The story is written from first-person perspective from a visitor, William Weston who is visiting from the US. The book was published in the year 1975 and critiques some of the ideas and lifestyle choices that were common at the time. In this essay, the city of ecotopia in the book will be analyzed in the way it mirrors and criticizes the 20th century USA society in terms of social, political andeconomic development.
In terms of politics, the book begins by explaining that the country of Ecotopia broke away from the US in order to practice a better, conservationist lifestyle. The country aimed at preventing pollution and making the lives of its citizens. Politically, the breakaway from America is similar to what had happened in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan as Bangladesh seceded from Pakistan with the help of India (Pavkovic and Padan 2016: 33, 95). Another political issue in Ecotopia that mirrors what was debated in the US society is the use of cannabis by the people in Ecotopia. For many years, the use of cannabis and other drugs has been debated in the US. These debates were particularly intense during Nixon's presidency.The author hopes to show that the political atmosphere in a country like US in the late 20th century could be eased by adopting a more liberal approach to drug use. Ecotopia's approach to cannabis use is interesting because it was written a few years after President Nixon passed laws that could be termed as a 'war on drugs.' (Blumenthal 2016: 2-6). The idealized Ecotopia approach could represent a reaction to these laws.The economic approach in Ecotopia is a direct criticism of what was happening in the US in the late 20th century (Callenbach 1975). In Ecotopia, technology develops and is used as a tool for economic development. However, this happens without causing any environmental degradation. The people in Ecotopia are conscious about the environment and only produce in ways that conserve the environment. When William first visits, he learns that airplanes are not allowed to cross above Ecotopia lest they cause noise and air pollution. This view on the environment even contrasts what was present in earlier centuries that were characterized by rapid industrialization. Fredrich Engels condemned these conditions and stated that even with industrialization, the human conditions could be improved (Engels 1892: 47). Ecotopia shows a world as it would have been if suggestions like those of Engels had been implemented. The novel shows an improvement on the Industrialized world in the late 20th century and during Engel's time.
Moreover, in the ecotopian society, the enterprises are owned and controlled by the employees rather than the employers. The author of the book establishes the point that this system helped to improve the social and economic welfare of the people in the country (Callenbach 1975). This system, where workers own the enterprises rather than it being owned by capitalist was suggested by Friedrich Engels in the late 19th century (Engels 1892: 45). Engels (1892) suggested this as an improvement to the conditions at the time where people were paid low wages by the capitalists who owned the means of production. The meagre wages often meant that the people could not afford the basic necessities which resulted in overcrowding in the cities and a general lack of favorable amenities (Engels 1892: 45). At the time of writing the book, the US was also in a capitalist state where the means of production and enterprise was owned by the capitalists while workers received a wage. The conditions are not as deplorable as they were during Engels time. However, they often meant that people had to spend long days at work only to come back home where basic needs were hard to meet (Mallet 1975: 75)
To further improve the economy of Ecotopia, thorough education is provided to the children and adults in the fictional country (Callenbach 1975). Education in Ecotopia is not meant just as a means to get a job. Instead, it enhances technological development and environmental consciousness. This view of education is different from what has always been the case in the US (Mourshed Farrell and Barton 2013: 4). Education in most of the modern world since the second world war has focused on making people get jobs. Despite this focus, educators, especially those in higher education do not know whether their students get jobs (Mourshed Farrell and Barton 2013: 4). Additionally, employers often feel that the education their employees received did not adequately prepare them for the work environment (Mourshed Farrell and Barton 2013: 3) Strong advice is given to people to choose educational and marketable programs. This view of education often affects the social and economic lives of people since it does not focus on the main reasons that people want a job or an education. In Ecotopia, this problem is combated both through the education system and the economic system. The education system in ecotopia ensures that the graduates are equipped to work in the various sectors of the economy in the country. It also equips them with life skills and general knowledge.
Socially, the lives of the people in Ecotopia are fulfilling and varied. Callenbach explains through the novel that the people were free from enforced monogamy. Furthermore, the fact that they own the enterprises means that they have more free time to do what they want with their lives instead of spending most of their waking hours at work. They live mainly in extended families and a strong sense of community and family is clear from this. By showing this strong sense of family, the author is criticizing the capitalist society that existed in the late 20th century where people were supposed to spend most of their time at work in order to meet their basic needs. Working too many hours meant they had little time for family and relaxation. Today, people work many hours and experience stress and burnout (Hurtienne, Stilijanow and Junghanns 2014: 63). These many working hours take away from time that people would spend with family or on social occasions.
To summarize, the book, Ecotopia, features a utopia grounded on environmental conservation. The book criticizes some of the American ideals at the time, for example, rapid industrial expansion without regard for the environment and capitalism without the regard for workers' wellbeing. Social and education improvement are also central to the society in Ecotopia's advancement. Education focused on making people more functional in society is seen to be of great value to the ecotopian society. Socially, monogamy is not enforced through the rule of law. The book also attempts at showing that people can be comfortable after they politically secede from a powerful country like the US. Although there are some problems in the society depicted in Ecotopia, it is almost a pure utopia. Technological advancements feature in the city and the people are generally satisfied with their lives. There is also a strong connection socially among the people in Ecotopia.
References
Blumenthal, S.E., 2016. Nixon's marijuana problem: youth politics and 'law and order,'1968-72.
Callenbach, E., 1975. Ecotopia: The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston (Berkeley, CA.
Friedrich Engels, "The Great Towns", from The Conditions of the Working Class in England, 1845; as reproduced in The City Reader, Richard Le Gates and Frederic Stout (eds), (London: Routledge, 1996): p. 46-55.
Hurtienne, J., Stilijanow, U. and Junghanns, G., 2014. Time and work pressure in today's working world. In The impact of ICT on quality of working life (pp. 63-85). Springer, Dordrecht.
Mallet, S., 1975. The new working class. THE NEW WORKING CLASS? WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS, p.75.
Mourshed, M., Farrell, D. and Barton, D., 2013. Education to employment: Designing a system that works. McKinsey Center for Government.
Pavkovic, A. and Radan, P., 2016. Creating new states: theory and practice