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Writing Future Worlds pp 113–133Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Chapter 5 Reporting from the Future

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Literary Anthropology ((PSLA))

Abstract

Considers the conditions of looking ahead toward what the world may become. Can scenarios predict, or warn of undesirable developments, or imagine what will happen in other ways? Where do scenarios stand between our understandings of fiction and non-fiction, and how are ways of scenario writing affected? Future scenarios are seen as a variety of “subjunctive reporting,” and compared to the genre of “counterfactual history.” The use of three varieties of time perspective—longue durée, conjunctural history, event history—is considered, and stylistic features of scenario writing (catch phrases and metaphors, neologisms, dramatic contrasts etc.) are identified. Finally, there is a discussion of differences between academic writing and journalism.

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  1. Department of Social Anthropology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ulf Hannerz

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  1. Ulf Hannerz
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Hannerz, U. (2016). Chapter 5 Reporting from the Future. In: Writing Future Worlds. Palgrave Studies in Literary Anthropology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31262-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31262-0_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31261-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31262-0

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