Ruth Levitas (born 15 May 1949 in London) is emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Bristol.
[1] She is well known internationally for her research on utopia and utopian studies.
[2] Her book, The Concept of Utopia (1990), addresses the notion of the ideal society throughout European history.
Her follow-on book, Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society (2013), makes the case that 'utopia should be understood as a method rather than a goal.
[6] In 2012 Levitas was awarded the Lyman Tower Sargent Distinguished Scholar Award by the North American Society for Utopian Studies.