Traversées et production des lieux : Défis par/avec les utopies et dystopies en Afrique

Jean Godefroy Bidima, Tulane University

January 29, 2026

UM6P Campus – Benguerir

This seminar by Pr. Jean Godefroy Bidima is a philosopher, Professor and Yvonne Arnoult Chairholder in French and Francophone Studies at Tulane University (New Orleans/USA) since 2004 . His research includes continental Philosophy, Literatures and Arts of the Francophone world, African Philosophies, Juridical Anthropology and Medical Ethics. He is the author of numerous books and articles on African philosophy.

Abstract :

To reflect is to wander, to carve out passages and cross places (topoi) which, in turn, contain non-places (Utopoi) that are one’s own possibilities.  A reflection on the conjunction between utopia and dystopias in Africa can only make sense if it is conceived as a constellation. In the latter, utopia and dystopia not only find a link through the notion of place, topos, but also express the unlinking par excellence: dystopia being the opposite of utopia. How can we untie this knot between binding and unbinding, and survey the places of utopia and dystopia in Africa? First, we’ll explore how utopias and dystopias capitalize on the enthusiasms and affects of mobilization, then we’ll analyze the relationship between the digital and the question of the insomnia of memory. Thirdly, we’ll examine how the notion of “afrotopia”, an american product par excellence, has been managed in Africa. Fourthly, we’ll explore the relationship between utopias and the notion of heritage, and we’ll add the true meaning of the notion of “inhabiting”, to finally put into perspective the real stakes of law in its relationship with the digital.