Trajectory and history

In 2018, a small group of actors (researchers, artists, authors, etc.) formulate the hypothesis that we will only regain the capacity to act in a deliberate way on the futures we wish to see, by working in a deliberate and constructed way on imaginaries. In order to transform and break away from inherited patriarchal and capitalist figures and their oppressive ideologies, as well as to regain a common direction towards other possible paths, we must reconsider our ways of “doing together”. For some of us, we also need to discover and learn how to develop our “capacities to imagine” other possibilities.

That same year, in order to confirm these intuitions and discover new ones, we invited thinkers, designers, artists, architects, etc. that we considered were reflecting on similar issues, to participate in three days of dialogue, exploration, and conferences, with the objective of inventing the space U+ should become and the different courses of action we were to initiate.

The principles that came out of this event became the foundation of this initiative: Diversity; the federation of different actors from different fields ; bringing together art, science and civil society; world building different possibilities ; the development of new collective methods; and the necessity of integrating ecological and social issues to questions related to transformations and futures.

Today, U+ has over 700 members worldwide. U+’s activities and projects involve all individuals who wish to participate. By mobilizing collective intelligence, they explore both themes and practices with the aim of making ecological, social and economic transformations of today’s world both conceivable and possible.

Supervisory board

As an open organisation, the Plurality University Network (U+) has a supervisory board. The board’s function is to support, make suggestions and review how U+ operate through its activities. Once every month, board members meet online to review projects, share ideas and decide on next actions. The Supervisory Board is composed of 6-9 individuals of diverse geographic origins, genders, abilities, and practices. On half of the board is elected yearly by members during our General Assembly, through online voting.

2022 supervisory board
Ketty Steward (Presiding member)

Born in 1976 in Martinique, Ketty Steward is a writer, with more than 40 science-fiction short stories published as well as poetry and stories outside the Sci-Fi genre. Ketty Steward also gives conferences and courses, and has coordinated special issues of science-fiction magazines.

Adwaita Das

Adwaita Das is the author of Colours of Shadow, a novella and short fiction collection, as well as the books of poetry, 27 Stitches and Songs of Sanity. Global speaker and creative facilitator for inclusive and innovative mental healthcare, Adwaita applies sound and imagery to address trauma and share peace.

Jorge Camacho

Jorge Camacho is a strategic designer, foresight strategist, researcher, and lecturer. He is a research affiliate at Institute for the Future and a co-founder of Diagonal: a research, design, and futures studio based in Mexico City. He’s a lecturer at Centro, Ibero, EGADE Business School, and ISDI.

Mary Anne Mohanraj

Mary Anne Mohanraj is author of A Feast of Serendib, Bodies in Motion, The Stars Change, and twelve other titles. Mohanraj founded Hugo-nominated and World Fantasy Award-winning speculative literature magazine Strange Horizons, and serves as Executive Director of both DesiLit and the Speculative Literature Foundation.

Mimi Mondal

Mimi Mondal is a Hugo and Nebula Award-nominated author of science fiction and fantasy and a columnist writing about history, politics, technology and futures.

Petra Ardai

Petra Ardai is a theater maker, teacher, and writer. She is artistic leader of the artists’ collective SPACE, rooted in Amsterdam and Budapest. “I am convinced that co-creative art experiences can cultivate cultural shifts, make fundamental changes and collaborations possible even under circumstances when nothing else seems to work anymore.”

Lara Houston

Lara Houston is a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex. She investigates how citizen-led and creative practices can inform sustainable transitions (as part of the CreaTures project).

Brigitte van der Sande

Brigitte van der Sande is founding/artistic director of Other Futures, a multidisciplinary platform for makers and thinkers of speculative fiction based in Amsterdam. With a festival, exhibition, events and an online feed, Other Futures introduce the critical potential of this genre to a diverse community.

Nicolas Gluzman

My professional paths led me to work in human resources consulting, sales and business developments before moving to corporate role in HR. For the last 2 years, I have been developing a concept called “Futurs Proches” (“Near Futures”) which is about organising workshops (open for everyone) to co-imagine and co-write short stories about a desirable future. It is now a collective of 50 facilitators across Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Partners

By taking part in U+’s projects, the partner organizations of the Plurality University Network develop their capacities for future anticipations and their ability to link meaning and daily action, concrete innovation and global issues. They benefit from their inclusion in the global U+ network. For their employees, this participation is also a path of learning and transformation.

If you are interested in the U+ approach, methods and projects, contact us! Together we will look for ways to imagine a partnership that contributes to the U+ mission while meeting your expectations.

Code of conduct

The Plurality University Network has established a Code of Conduct which applies to the organisation as well as its members. The code’s aim is to support a community where all people feel welcome to participate, introduce new ideas and inspire others, discuss and improve their own and others’ ideas, regardless of background, race or ethnicity, geographic location, gender, sexual orientation, language, age, ability, social status, religion, etc.

Openness, creativity, collaboration, and participation are core values of the Plurality University. To produce plurality, diversity – of people, practices, and ideas – is needed. These guidelines exist to enable diverse individuals and groups to interact and collaborate to mutual advantage. To this end, they outline both expected and prohibited behavior.

The Code of Conduct can be viewed by accessing the link below.