Outer Space as Political Space – A Critical Discourse Analysis on Utopian and Dystopian Imaginaries within Tech Elites’ Texts regarding Societies on Mars and Earth
(2026) SIMZ11 20261Master of Science in Global Studies
- Abstract
- This thesis initially highlights the broader context of tech elites and far-right movements emerging within outer space as political space. The issue that this thesis addresses is how tech elites’ imaginaries tied to outer space not only extend Earth politics but also could challenge society on Earth. The aims are to critically examine how tech elites over time construct the need for outer space to legitimize ideology and extend far-right imaginaries within discourse on outer space. Then, this thesis critically assesses Elon Musk’s and Jeff Bezos’ utopian and dystopian imaginaries over time and across text genres to contribute to literature on tech elites and outer space. Methodologically, this thesis re-adapts the Discourse-Historical... (More)
- This thesis initially highlights the broader context of tech elites and far-right movements emerging within outer space as political space. The issue that this thesis addresses is how tech elites’ imaginaries tied to outer space not only extend Earth politics but also could challenge society on Earth. The aims are to critically examine how tech elites over time construct the need for outer space to legitimize ideology and extend far-right imaginaries within discourse on outer space. Then, this thesis critically assesses Elon Musk’s and Jeff Bezos’ utopian and dystopian imaginaries over time and across text genres to contribute to literature on tech elites and outer space. Methodologically, this thesis re-adapts the Discourse-Historical Approach to triangulate various texts during 2016-2026 related to Musk and Bezos. The analytical procedure follows a three-step inquiry on tech elites’ discourse: (1) argumentation, (2) recontextualization, and (3) sociohistorical analysis. The key finding suggests a discursive shift from tech-libertarianism to neo-reactionary(ism) in Musk’s texts. This change suggests how tech elites use critical dystopia to justify the need for outer space and challenge the current society on Earth. This finding is socially relevant for understanding how tech elites’ imaginaries about outer space relate to far-right ideology in current political discourse. The theoretical and literary relevance of this finding lies in how critical dystopia becomes extraplanetary in the current tech elites’ discourse, challenging society on Earth. In all, this thesis contributes to the literature on the emerging relationship between tech elites and far-right imaginaries within discourse regarding outer space. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9241877
- author
- Klingberg, Gabriel LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SIMZ11 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- NewSpace, tech elites, Mars, critical dystopia, neo-reactionary, American exceptionalism
- language
- English
- id
- 9241877
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-25 09:34:53
- date last changed
- 2026-06-25 09:34:53
@misc{9241877,
abstract = {{This thesis initially highlights the broader context of tech elites and far-right movements emerging within outer space as political space. The issue that this thesis addresses is how tech elites’ imaginaries tied to outer space not only extend Earth politics but also could challenge society on Earth. The aims are to critically examine how tech elites over time construct the need for outer space to legitimize ideology and extend far-right imaginaries within discourse on outer space. Then, this thesis critically assesses Elon Musk’s and Jeff Bezos’ utopian and dystopian imaginaries over time and across text genres to contribute to literature on tech elites and outer space. Methodologically, this thesis re-adapts the Discourse-Historical Approach to triangulate various texts during 2016-2026 related to Musk and Bezos. The analytical procedure follows a three-step inquiry on tech elites’ discourse: (1) argumentation, (2) recontextualization, and (3) sociohistorical analysis. The key finding suggests a discursive shift from tech-libertarianism to neo-reactionary(ism) in Musk’s texts. This change suggests how tech elites use critical dystopia to justify the need for outer space and challenge the current society on Earth. This finding is socially relevant for understanding how tech elites’ imaginaries about outer space relate to far-right ideology in current political discourse. The theoretical and literary relevance of this finding lies in how critical dystopia becomes extraplanetary in the current tech elites’ discourse, challenging society on Earth. In all, this thesis contributes to the literature on the emerging relationship between tech elites and far-right imaginaries within discourse regarding outer space.}},
author = {{Klingberg, Gabriel}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Outer Space as Political Space – A Critical Discourse Analysis on Utopian and Dystopian Imaginaries within Tech Elites’ Texts regarding Societies on Mars and Earth}},
year = {{2026}},
}