Josef Weber and the politics of utopia: Between eco-socialism and prefigurative strategy

Josef Weber (1901–1959) is remembered today for his mentorship of Murray Bookchin. However, not only are his own extensive writings neglected in the literature, but his pioneering utopian project has been almost entirely overlooked. This article examines the politics of utopia that shaped this project and suggests that Weber's critique of capitalism, state socialism, and environmental crisis can indeed be interpreted as an early eco-socialist and prefigurative form of politics. Yet, an important consequence of excavating Weber's account of politics, democracy, and socialism is that it complicates claims about the end of utopian vision in the immediate postwar period. I argue for a reading of Weber's utopianism that works between eco-socialism and prefigurative strategy, illustrating parallels with a radical realist approach to utopianism. This account of Weber's project provides a new historical lineage and contemporary justification for prefigurative eco-socialism.