Utopian Studies

It is indeed a pleasure to introduce this collection of essays that honor one of the world's leading scholars in the field of utopian studies. I have known Lyman Tower Sargent since 1986, when upon moving to St. Louis I was delighted to discover that we lived a short distance away from each other. Our collaboration on a variety of projects has continued ever since then, most notably in the series Utopianism and Communitarianism, published by Syracuse University Press; as intellectual advisers to the New York Public Library/Bibliothèque Nationale exhibition Utopia, which took place in 2000; in the two editions of The Utopia Reader (1999 and 2017, with New York University Press); in many years of joint "skills" presentations for both the Society for Utopian Studies and the Utopian Studies Society; in planning numerous conferences and other events in the field; and in pursuing references and rare primary sources throughout the world in the relentless desire to make accessible to scholars as many utopian texts as possible. Over these many years I have gotten to know Lyman very well. His dedication to the advancement of scholarship in the field is unrivaled. His collaboration with other scholars, notably Lucy Sargisson, has also resulted in a number of publications, notably [End Page 237] on New Zealand communitarianism. His roles as founder of the journal Utopian Studies and longtime chair of the Society for Utopian Studies are well known and greatly valued.

Lyman's own contribution to utopian studies lies in his magnificent bibliography, now available online, which is the indispensable starting point for every scholar working with Anglo-American literature, and in his many essays and book contributions. His main views of the field as a whole are summarized in the pithy Utopianism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2010), which gives a good sense of both the breadth of his vision of the field and the anchor definitions from which he proceeds. Lyman's entry point into the study of utopianism is as a political theorist, and from early on he offered a challenge to the field as a whole in his definition of its three "faces" of ideology, literature, and communalism. The challenge here is to find a common core between the most influential part of the field, ideology, and particularly socialism, Marxism, and anarchism, and the other two components, but especially literature. In practice, as with the definition of the key term utopia generally, this has proved difficult, and little consensus exists on defining the shared elements of the three faces. But the typology endures, and with it the challenge to develop the field further.

This collection of articles is more than just a tribute to a scholar who has come to be seen as a commanding figure in the field. Over many years I have observed a remarkable pattern of service to the cause. Lyman is often the first to arrive at conferences and usually among the last to leave. He does not bunk off but, rather, attends as many sessions as possible, asks helpful and perceptive questions, and is diplomatic to younger and more established scholars alike. He has been a great resource for references both scholarly and personal. His willingness over many years to deliver the "skills" sessions at the two major conferences has delighted students and given them a strong sense of what professional conduct in academia entails. He has, accordingly, come to command both great respect and enduring affection from his fellow travelers. These articles acknowledge both dimensions of his impact on our academic community. [End Page 238]