Literature is one of the most powerful intellectual domains of production that shapes social imaginaries and directs the perspectives of individuals and societies toward the future. In this context, the genres of utopia and dystopia within the scope of literary studies are not merely aesthetic narrative forms but also functional epistemological tools for analyzing the social, political, and cultural transformations that have occurred throughout history. While utopias envision an idealized social order, dystopias expose the risks and threats embedded in existing or potential systems, thereby offering a critical perspective.

Prepared with the contributions of distinguished scholars, the volume entitled “Utopia and Dystopia in Literary Studies” engages with these genres through literary texts, examining their transformations within historical contexts as well as their reflections on contemporary societies within an analytical framework. The chapters included in the book explore the various manifestations of utopia and dystopia in different literary works, addressing both historical continuities and ruptures, while also assessing their position in current intellectual debates from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The contributing scholars analyze literary texts written in different languages, thereby demonstrating the extent to which the concepts of utopia and dystopia can be approached from diverse theoretical perspectives, and in doing so, they provide an original contribution to the field. Accordingly, this volume aims to foster the deepening of theoretical and critical discussions on utopian and dystopian genres through comparative analyses across different languages and literatures, thereby offering a lasting contribution to the academic literature.