Futures

doi:10.1017/9781009748810.005

3 - Futures

from Part I - When? The Time of Modern Arabic Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 July 2026

Teresa Pepe

Edited by

Michael Allan and

Zeina G. Halabi

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Michael Allan: Affiliation:
University of Oregon
Zeina G. Halabi: Affiliation:
Orient Institute Beirut

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Summary

How has modern Arabic literature imagined the future? Focusing on dystopian narratives as cultural responses to political, environmental, and social crises, this chapter examines the shifting concept of “the future” from a modernist ideal of progress to a site of uncertainty and threat, shaped by posthumanist and ecological thought. The analysis centers on Ahmad Khalid Tawfiq’s novel Utopia (2008), which portrays a near-future Egypt marked by extreme inequality, environmental degradation, and social collapse. The novel exemplifies “critical dystopia,” blending pessimistic visions with moments of resistance and open-endedness. The analysis situates Utopia within a broader tradition of Arabic speculative fiction, tracing its roots to the Nahda and its evolution through contemporary climate fiction. It argues that Arabic literature offers a vital space for reimagining temporality, critiquing slow violence, and envisioning alternative futures amid ongoing regional and global upheavals.

Keywords

Arabic dystopia Utopia Anthropocene critical dystopia speculative fiction environment slow violence

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Companion to Modern Arabic Literature , pp. 57 - 72

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009748810.005 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2026

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