From visioning to crafting futures? Surveying the expanding literature on future making

2026/06/25 by Karl Palmås, Ulises Navarro Aguiar · 1 voice
Business, Management and Accounting · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Diverse academic and cultural studies #Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences #Workplace Spirituality and Leadership

paper · doi:10.1016/j.futures.2026.103877

openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex publication_date 2026/06/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16

Abstract

This article examines the increased use of the concept of “future making” within futures studies and related disciplines. Specifically, it surveys articles in this journal and charts the extra-futures studies interventions that these contributions cite. In so doing, the article explores the cross-disciplinary roots and stakes of the concept. The text suggests that the recent popularity of future making within Futures signals a new tendency within futures studies: Metaphorics of design and craft are challenging the dominance of metaphorics of vision.

Citations

• The design-ification of future making: uncertainty and divination in contemporary business discourse

Discussions

• There's so much talk about "future making" these days. So Karl Palmås and I set out to briefly map how this notion has been used in futures research, tracing its cross-disciplinary roots and stakes [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]

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