Civic learning through utopian thinking on border and migration regimes. An intersectional perspective

Abstract Global border and migration regimes are marked by injustices and deaths. One possibility to address these fault lines through civic adult education is by utopian thinking, the effects of which have hardly been researched empirically. This paper examines civic learning on migration and border regimes through utopian thinking using an intersectional lens. Theoretically, the paper is based on studies about intersectionally grounded injustices in border and migration regimes, the (utopian) idea of global freedom of movement as a possible answer to these injustices, and the relation of civic learning and utopian thinking. The main research questions—whether and how civic learning can be fostered by utopian thinking and how intersectional injustices and privileges are taken into account—are answered by empirical research conducted in two bachelor’s seminars at an Austrian university. The findings show that intersectional perspectives are rarely taken into account. Utopian thinking itself is often perceived to be difficult, but new perspectives are emerging.