For emancipatory imaginaries that inspire hope
By Martin Douchet, founder of L'Atelier des Possibles.
"We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable– but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words," said the American author Ursula K Le Guin in 2014. 1
Imagination does not detach us from the world. On the contrary, it allows us to return to it by showing us what is possible. This last word is fundamental. As defined by Vittorio Loreto, a researcher affiliated with the Italian university "La Sapienza", the "adjacent possibles" are "the set of possibilities available to individuals, communities and institutions at a given point in their evolution ". 2
We need imaginaries that enable us to envision new societies oriented towards respect for all living beings and the end of every form of domination. These emancipatory imaginaries prompt action, as evidenced by young protesters around the world using the One Piece manga flag to demand greater social, economic, and political justice 3
We can also mention the use of symbols from Margaret Atwood's work, The Handmaid's Tale, in the fight for women's rights and against Donald Trump's policies..4
To keep going in a world that's on fire, faced with the rise of the far right and repression, we need messages of hope more than ever. What the late British ethologist, primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall urged us to do: "I want to make sure that you all understand each of you has a role to play." I want you to understand that we are part of the natural world. And even today, as the planet is plunged into darkness, there is still hope. Don't lose hope."5
Alice Carabédian, a specialist in political utopia in contemporary science fiction, arrives at similar conclusions: "It is vital for our mental health to forge positive images and not let science fiction be reduced to dystopian visions only," he said. 6
These positive imaginaries not only help to raise awareness, but also play a part in sustaining commitment, in rejuvenating those who are fighting for a better future, and in supporting people affected by issues such as "activist burn-out", as scientific Research confirms. . 7
It is along this trajectory that the works of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki are situated. These animated films are a powerful call to resist fascism and capitalism, to respect non-human animals, and to build a fairer society. David L Eng and David Kazanjian discuss the politics of mourning in Miyazaki's works, which they define as "Neither passive, nor resigned, militant, focused on what remains rather than what has vanished. Miyazaki has created films that invite action in the face of grief, encourage joining the community when faced with absence, and foster rebuilding after ruin ". 8
A film like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) is a beautiful meditation on the ethics of the earth. Nausicaä is an ecofeminist heroine who embraces all living things as a whole. 9 Miyazaki pays tribute to environmental grassroots initiatives, led by women who feared for their children, endangered by Japanese industry. In the 1950s and 1960s, the latter had carte blanche to destroy ecosystems and biodiversity, so long as it created jobs and growth.
The consequences of this capitalist ideology were devastating: the sky and waters were polluted, humans and animals developed congenital diseases, especially during the horrific poisoning of Minamata Bay in 1956.
As well as being a leading scientist, Nausicaä is a deeply empathic character who possesses the ability to hear the thoughts of the giant insects (the Ohmus). This aptitude embodies the realisation of her empathy. She will oppose Kushana, princess of the Tolmekian empire (whose name is an anagram of Nausicaä's), who embodies the principle of domination over nature through science and technology.
This film develops the radical idea that a plant, a young woman, and an insect all equally deserve to inherit the Earth. The newspaper l'Humanité reported: "an ecological concern verging on antispeciesism " : that's how he describes the Japanese animator's view of nature. 10
Miyazaki offers a multifaceted depiction of domination, and consequently, the forms of emancipation that stand in opposition to it. For him, evil is the system that orchestrates these forms of domination; only very rarely are they rigid incarnations. "It's this world that's evil," says the monk Jiko to Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke (1997).
Within Les Jeunes Écologistes (French Young Greens), we believe it is essential to embrace these imaginaries to guide our political project. Experiencing these works, whether cinematographic (Hayao Miyazaki, The Handmaid's Tale) or literary (One Piece, Ursula K Le Guin), is not simply a matter of individual experience. There is also a collective aspect, as they bring us together to strengthen our struggles.
These imagined worlds also enable us to be self-critical. The phrase "everything is political" does not mean that everything is partisan, but that everything is shaped by power.11
We, left-wing activists, are no exception to this and must do everything we can to overcome domination, both outside and within our own ranks. The slogan beneath the poster for Spirited Away (2001) was a fine illustration of this: "There's a little of No-Face in all of us". 12
1. National Book Awards Speech, 2014. Repris dans Derniers Poèmes, Paris, Aux Forges de Vulcain, 2023 (« We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable– but then, so did the divine.right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words. »).
2. Loreto, V. (2015). Unfolding the dynamics of creativity, novelties and innovation. White paper of the Kreyon project.
3. https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/regarde-le-monde/regarde-le-monde-du-jeudi-25 septembre-2025-6541688
4. https://www.lesnouvellesnews.fr/les-servantes-ecarlates-se-mobilisent-contre-la-politique-de-donald trump/
5. Jane Goodall dans l'émission « Un dernier mot ». © Netflix
6. Carabédian, A. (2022). Utopie radicale : Par-delà l’imaginaire des cabanes et des ruines. Seuil.
7. Cottin-Marx, S. (2023). Le burn-out militant. Réflexions pour ne pas être consumé par le feu militant.
8. Mouvements, n° 113(1), 156‑164. https://doi.org/10.3917/mouv.113.0156
9. Napier, S. (2021). Le monde de Miyazaki. Editions IMHO.
10. Malek, G. (2024). De Nausicaä à One Piece Les héros de manga, révolutionnaires et décroissants ? Socialter, Hors-série(HS18), 162-167. https://shs.cairn.info/magazine-socialter-2024-HS18-page-162?lang=fr.
11. https://www.humanite.fr/medias/arte/miyazaki-lesprit-de-la-nature-sur-arte-un-souffle-dune- humanite-rare
12. https://reflexionsrouges.fr/tout-est-politique
