A Utopianism That Transcends Books: Dirk C. Fleck’s Ecological Science Fiction

Abstract

Utopian literature criticizes contemporary society and describes fictional societies that are better. In most cases, the political function of this literature is limited to ethical considerations. Utopias that serve the function to actually change the world are extremely rare. In those cases, the author’s intention and ideological standpoint have to be considered to fully understand the text. Dirk C. Fleck’s science fictional oeuvre is such a case. One of its main themes is the handling of ecological problems. While in GO! Die Öko-Diktatur (1993), Fleck depicts terrorism and dictatorship as ways to save the earth, in his later Maeva-trilogy, he narrates the foundation and dissemination of an alternative (and problematic) democratic system that is a functional solution to ecological and social problems by linking up human survival and good life on earth. In this chapter, I analyze Fleck’s literary and political view on the climate crisis through the lens of utopian social theory. Especially, I read the Maeva-trilogy as an adaptation of ‘Equilibrism,’ an ecological ideology influenced by systems theory that wants to change political structures and use already existing sustainable technology to fend off ecological catastrophe. Fleck’s three Maeva-novels are best understood as propaganda literature for Equilibrism and as concrete utopias that seek to be implemented in the real world.