The real utopias of Erik Olin Wright: A scientific reconstruction of the utopian socialism?

The work of Erik O. Wright can be conceived as an attempt for reconstructing Marxism in two directions: class analysis and the discussion of alternatives to capitalism called "real utopias". This article aims to offer a critical assessment of this second research program. First, the real utopias project is presented within the broader agenda of an "emancipatory social science". Then, both the theoretical framework that serves as the basis for the institutional design of these proposals and the gradualist strategy for eroding capitalism are critically analyzed. Both -institutional and strategic- levels are characterized by a pluralism that seeks to liberate the political imagination from certain mental frameworks in which it is often confined, which makes this attempt to reconcile the utopian spirit with scientific enquiry a promising research program for future developments.