Rethinking Utopia: the search for ‘topias’ in the Paris catacombs

ABSTRACT

Taking as its starting point the argument that obsession with Utopia has begun to decline, this paper considers what might replace the concept in the twenty-first century. The paper continues by drawing on the important work of Peter Sloterdijk and Tony Blackshaw to accentuate the point that the good life is less about following grand narratives than it is about inventing oneself through a process of self-creation that has been referred to as anthropotechnics. With this idea in mind, the paper goes on to unpack how a group of urban explorers find various substitutes for utopia in the subterranean space of the Paris catacombs, substitutes that deliver inimitable feelings of identity, togetherness and freedom. As it is argued, forms of leisure such as ‘urbex’ emerge as ‘primary spheres’ of anthropotechnics that instigate the formation of intertwining and interpenetrating ‘topias’ which have been referred to here as ‘reterotopia’, ‘heterotopia’ and ‘scotopia’.

Résumé

Prenant comme postulat de départ l’argument selon lequel l’obsession de l’utopie a entrepris son déclin, cet article examine ce qui pourrait remplacer ce concept au XXIe siècle. L’article s’appuie sur l’important travail de Peter Sloterdijk et Tony Blackshaw pour mettre l’accent sur le fait que vivre une vie agréable consiste moins à s’inspirer de grandioses narratifs qu’à s’inventer à travers un processus d’auto-création appelé anthropotechnique. Sur cette base, l’article explique comment un groupe d’explorateurs urbains trouve divers substituts à l’utopie dans l’espace souterrain des catacombes de Paris, ces substituts leur procurant des sentiments incomparables d’identité, d’unité et de liberté. Il est discuté que des formes de loisirs telles que l’« urbex » émergent comme des « sphères primaires » de l’anthropotechnique qui suscitent l’apparition de « topies » imbriquées et interpénétrantes appelées ici « rétérotopie », « hétérotopie » et « scotopie ».

KEYWORDS:

• Anthropotechnics
• Utopia
• leisure
• art of Living
• urban exploration

MOTS-CLÉS:

• anthropotechnique
• utopie
• loisirs
• art de vivre
• exploration urbaine

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Nicknamed ‘Cataflics’, these people are a specially trained police force that regularly patrols the Paris catacombs. Cataflics are employed to ensure the safety of the underground quarries, and to enforce the law as it has been illegal to visit the catacombs since November 1955.

2. ‘Cataphiles’ are frequent visitors who have an extensive knowledge of the catacombs. Alongside seeking leisure in the catacombs, they regularly tidy the network of tunnels against the activities of ‘cataclasts’ (people who degrade the quarries) and monitor the opening and closing of entrances.