ABSTRACT
The conclusion returns to the debate that frames this book – the idea that Marechera is not commonly regarded as a utopian writer because he does not project a particular vision of a utopian future. Nevertheless, it is the argument of this thesis that a discussion of utopianism is perhaps the most profitable way of reading Marechera’s work. Rather than seeing the individual as an integral part of the collective in structuring a better society, Marechera stresses the need for the individual to take responsibility in the way in which they both think about and behave in the social arena. For him, utopian programmes are often imposed to build a better society at the expense of the liberty of the individual. What sits at the core of his utopian thinking is therefore not a programme by which Zimbabwe can become better but rather one that calls for a consciousness that understands the imposition of utopian programmes and therefore one that champions the individual.
