This project examines the intersections of utopian thought, social experimentation, and colonial practice through case studies in colonial and postcolonial contexts. By foregrounding lived practices and global entanglements, it approaches early socialism not as a prelude to later ideologies but as a dynamic and contested field of social and political innovation. The analysis highlights how ideas of communal labor, association, and reform were tested and transformed under conditions of empire, and how such experiments functioned as spaces of negotiation shaped by material infrastructures, symbolic projections, and unequal power relations.
Combining empirical research with conceptual reflection, the project reassesses the role of colonial settings as laboratories of social reordering and explores the broader implications for the history of utopianism and modern social thought. Its outcomes include peer-reviewed publications, international conferences, and collaborative workshops that bring together scholars across disciplines to reflect on the entanglements of socialism, colonialism, and visions of alternative futures.
The working group has been active since 2017, beginning with a publication in Francia that explored intersections between utopianism, socialism, colonialism, and the history of early socialism more broadly. Over the years, it has provided a framework for student theses, academic conferences, and collaborative publications. Within this broader context, the current project has produced numerous international presentations and publications.
Conference Announcement
Revisiting the First Socialisms: Histories, Debates, and Contemporary Resonances
The international conference explores the diversity of socialist thought and practice in the early nineteenth century. Special attention is given to colonial entanglements, alongside conceptual reflections, gender perspectives, and the practices of communities, work, and institutions. Further panels examine political semantics and imaginaries that shaped socialist discourse. The concluding session will address the environmental crisis and the renewed relevance of utopian thinking.
Organisers: Anne Kwaschik (University of Konstanz), Michel Lallement (CNAM, Lise-CNRS, Paris)
Venue: Bischofsvilla, University of Konstanz
Date: 2–4 April 2026
This conference is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
The programme and further information are available here. The poster is available here.