Envisioning the Future of the World in the Post-Cold War Era

Written by Jenny Andersson, “The Future of the World: Futurology, Futurists, and the Struggle for the Post-Cold War Imagination” is a historical record of futures research. It explains that the study of the future has components composed of different claims about how to know and change the future, and consequently, the world. The book relies heavily on the thoughts of futurist thinkers, philosophers, historians, economists, and sociologists who envisioned alternative futures after the Second World War. It revolves around two keywords: the future, and the Cold War. Although the book uses the word “prediction” instead of “foresight,” it is useful to readers interested in knowing more about the historical origins of contemporary futures research.