Futures Still to Play For

In his inaugural lecture, Professor Luke Goode reflects on some of the joys and sorrows of teaching and researching in the field of critical futures studies amid a prevailing atmosphere of crisis and resignation. What does it mean to think beyond the futures — both shiny and catastrophic — sold to us as inevitable, whether by Big Tech thought-leaders or by climate doomers? How do we cultivate hope, agency and imagination alongside sobering honesty about the runaway disruptions already remaking our world? Luke will try and bring some lightness to these weighty questions but, failing that, there will at least be refreshments to enjoy afterwards.

Luke is originally from England, Britain or the UK — he's never quite sure which. He came to New Zealand and the University of Auckland in 2001, telling himself and his extended family that it would only be a three-to-five year stint. A quarter of a century later, he very much enjoys being part of the Communication programme and the School of Social Sciences at Waipapa Taumata Rau. Luke's research and teaching career has focused primarily on the social and democratic impacts of new media and communication technologies, and in recent years he has worked with international collaborators to help develop the field of critical futures studies.