The politics of money utopias : methodological utopian explorations of the Banjar and the Neocracy

Abstract

Methodological utopianism is used to explore the potential of money via two examples, making use of simulacrum case study research. These examples are the Banjar, a traditional Balinese governance and currency system; and the Neocracy, a real cryptocurrency system. Both are considered through an integralist positioning with implications for practical utopianism and economic evaluation of community currency systems. Backgrounds on utopian studies, and money are given for contextualization of our approach. We take a heterodox economic position and use the “archaeological” approach of utopian thought. The simulacrum case study is introduced as a tool to foster political imagination about possible monetary systems. While the Banjar system is embedded in the local cultural milieu, anthropological learning about existing money systems stimulates the skill to see possibilities here. The Neocracy is utopian in its aims and needs to be proved in praxis with more detailed aspects of implementation being unclear at present. Yet within it we do see a utopian potential which may be realised.