Thinking and speculating about the future has always been a part of human history, but exploring the future in a systematic and scientific way is a recent development. What is known variously as futures studies, foreight, or futures only emerged during the second half of the twentieth century. The study of the future is not just about 'predicting' or forecasting. It is also about appreciating the potentials and possibilities, risks and threats, lurking over the horizon, as well as influencing and shaping futures.

This book provides the background to the evolution of futures studies, explores the contested field, and shows how knowledge of the future is acquired and put into practice. In outlining the basic methods of futures studies, it also reveals how futures can be both: a tool for empowerment as well as an instrument of colonisation. In the uncertain, tempestuous, and bewildering world of the twenty-first century, futures studies has become an indispensable discourse.

Author: Ziauddin Sardar

Publishers: The International Institute of Futures Studies (IIFS), IIIT, & CCPFS

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