Demagogues promise a return to an imaginary past. The opposite of demagogues — politicians — focus on visions of a glorious future. The New Yorker’s Masha Gessen, author of The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, explores a number of such visions — visions of a more equal, sustainable life, visions of the common good and inclusive politics — as expressed in existing projects from around the world. From Detroit to Palestine to Medellin, Gessen reports on the concept of “parallel polis,” how small societies within larger societies can be instruments for social and political reform, creating new futures.