Chiara Lubich: The Woman, the Utopian

Abstract

Despite the controversies aroused by the concept of “utopia”, we have considered that, as a potentially valid analytic tool, its application in the field of sociology could be heuristically fruitful. Appearing as a performative concept connected with individual and collective beliefs, “utopia”, freed from its negative and contradictory connotations, can be considered, in a generic way, as the hope - that sometimes becomes reality - of seeing the rise of different institutions and societies. After a brief attempt of definition, the idea of “utopia” is applied to Chiara Lubich’s activities in religious and civil fields. In fact, if in the religious sphere the work of Chiara Lubich has reformative effects, it has consequences on the world too, insofar as it leads to a “double utopia” that considers the potential involvement of the whole humanity.