Critical Hedonism(s): Beyond Travel: Exploring Hedonist Escapes in Our Own Backyards

Recent shocks in global oil markets have threatened to end the era of cheap global travel—and with it, the tantalizing grip of the vacation on our leisure imaginaries. As this recently-gained (yet somehow already taken-for-granted) form of freedom teeters, a growing cacophony of voices is questioning whether mass travel was ever a good idea to begin with. Citing overtourism, greenhouse gas emissions, the deterioration of delicate ecologies, the gentrification of local cities/towns/villiages and housing supplies, and the neglect of closer-to-home leisure amenities, a variety of authors have sought to explore what a genuine alternative to the long-distance vacation could look like. In this session, we will consider the problems with travel, and consider some of the proposed alternatives, from the “staycation,” to increasing urban amenities, to space mirror-driven tropical microclimates closer to home.

CFITICAL HEDONISM(S) is a free and open-to-the-public discussion space for exploring and interrogating topics, prompts, and questions pertaining to the politics of desire. The starting point of Critical Hedonism(s) is the realization that an essential part of changing the world is changing what we want, aspire for, and take pleasure in. Monthly discussions like this one offer a crucial method for understanding how desire is organized in our culture, and how it might be organized differently. We explore the injustices of desire, the ways in which it is used to manipulate, motivate and stratify, and how it is shaped by institutions. We also explore the inherent challenges of hedonism, and consider what kinds of frameworks could be used to mediate our relationship with it. For more about Critical Hedonism(s), see https://www.criticalhedonisms.com