About us
Our approach
Vivatopia is politically pluralistic. We do not begin by deciding which future is desirable. We treat political imaginaries as hypotheses to be understood, compared, challenged, and sometimes combined. Our aim is to understand why certain visions acquire meaning and appeal, what kinds of social worlds they propose, and what tensions or possibilities they contain.
Vivatopia, The Lab of Political Imaginaries
is an initiative dedicated to renewing political imagination. We study the emerging visions of collective life that are taking shape across politics, culture, technology, and everyday life, and we create spaces where these futures can be explored and debated.
Our work moves between research and experimentation. The Atlas maps contemporary political imaginaries. The Agora brings competing visions into conversation.
Workshops translate these questions into participatory formats for universities, schools, institutions, and organizations.
The podcast extends these conversations to a broader public, while the future Vivatopia Festival will explore political imaginaries through cultural and immersive experiences.
Our institutional structure
Vivatopia has two complementary institutional bases. In the United States, it operates through an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting research, publications, public programming, partnerships, and fundraising. At Luiss University in Rome, Vivatopia is established as an academic lab, providing a home for teaching, research collaboration, student involvement, and European partnerships. The two structures share a common mission and intellectual direction while retaining their own legal and administrative identities.
Our Team
Marlene Laruelle
Marlene Laruelle is Full Professor at Luiss University in Rome and Director of the Illiberalism Studies Program. Prior to joining Luiss, she spent fifteen years as Research Professor at George Washington University, where she also directed the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES). Trained in political theory and originally a specialist on Russia, Marlene now works on grassroots cultural illiberalism, left postliberalism, and the renewal of political imaginaries. You can follow her on her Substack Vivatopia.
Director
Aaron Irion
Aaron Irion is a writer based in Washington, DC. He is an associate at the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and a Research Scholar at the Laboratory of Political Imaginaries. His work focuses on political imagination and futurity (especially lost futures) and is most keenly interested in the crisis of liberalism, post-liberalism, and the absence of the left in the present conjuncture. He writes about these themes and others on his Substack, The Future, Again.
Research Scholar
Aitolkyn Kourmanova
Aitolkyn Kourmanova is a multimedia producer and editor of multilingual platforms. She has produced and directed analytical content on Eurasia and Central Asia in Russian, English, and Uzbek languages, bridging cultural gaps through innovative content strategies tailored for diverse audiences. Her background includes strategic analysis, publishing, and work in cultural and educational exchange programs.
Project Associate
Deirdre Jane Prigge
D@eirdre Jane Prigge is a Communication MA and adjunct instructor in the Department of Communication at George Mason University. Her primary research interests include corporate crisis communication, health and stigma communication, and scandals and moral conflicts in historical perspective. She is the Lab's podcast producer and a Research Affiliate at the Character Assassination and Reputation Protection (CARP) Research Lab, where she hosts and produces the CARP Radio Podcast.
Podcast Producer
Panagiotis Mitrousis
Senior Multimedia Designer
Panagiotis Mitrousis is a Senior Multimedia Designer and visual artist from Greece. His practice spans graphic design, visual production, motion design, branding, and documentary work. Over the years, he has collaborated with both private and public organisations, including Greece’s public broadcaster and other public institutions, contributing to projects ranging from brand identities and campaigns to video production and motion graphics. Alongside his professional design work, Panagiotis maintains an active visual art practice across traditional and digital media. His work is especially interested in the intersections of storytelling, image-making, drawing, painting, comics, and design.