The Generative Power of Collective Hope
In the face of widespread structural injustice, many people feel hopeless. Is hope valuable for political activism, or is it naive, impractical, or even counterproductive? Here I focus on collective hope as opposed to individual hope. I argue that collective hope can both sustain us in our politica...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Western Ontario
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Feminist Philosophy Quarterly |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/16644 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850126603115298816 |
|---|---|
| author | Maggie Fife |
| author_facet | Maggie Fife |
| author_sort | Maggie Fife |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
In the face of widespread structural injustice, many people feel hopeless. Is hope valuable for political activism, or is it naive, impractical, or even counterproductive? Here I focus on collective hope as opposed to individual hope. I argue that collective hope can both sustain us in our political commitments and generate new commitments; it is therefore particularly valuable for activist movements and should be cultivated. Through the contemporary example of the prison abolition movement, I address pessimistic and pragmatic worries about political hope, show how collective hope motivates political action through activities of shared imagination, and introduce the concept of holding hope. In order for collective hope to emerge, some members of a group need to hold hope for the collective by sustaining their individual hope and supporting the capacity of other individuals to hope.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3429e1050b154d57bb40f8edc3fc062f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2371-2570 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Western Ontario |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Feminist Philosophy Quarterly |
| spelling | doaj-art-3429e1050b154d57bb40f8edc3fc062f2025-08-20T02:33:54ZengUniversity of Western OntarioFeminist Philosophy Quarterly2371-25702024-12-01104The Generative Power of Collective HopeMaggie Fife0City University of New York Graduate Center In the face of widespread structural injustice, many people feel hopeless. Is hope valuable for political activism, or is it naive, impractical, or even counterproductive? Here I focus on collective hope as opposed to individual hope. I argue that collective hope can both sustain us in our political commitments and generate new commitments; it is therefore particularly valuable for activist movements and should be cultivated. Through the contemporary example of the prison abolition movement, I address pessimistic and pragmatic worries about political hope, show how collective hope motivates political action through activities of shared imagination, and introduce the concept of holding hope. In order for collective hope to emerge, some members of a group need to hold hope for the collective by sustaining their individual hope and supporting the capacity of other individuals to hope. https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/16644hopeactivismcollective hopeimaginationabolitionprisons |
| spellingShingle | Maggie Fife The Generative Power of Collective Hope Feminist Philosophy Quarterly hope activism collective hope imagination abolition prisons |
| title | The Generative Power of Collective Hope |
| title_full | The Generative Power of Collective Hope |
| title_fullStr | The Generative Power of Collective Hope |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Generative Power of Collective Hope |
| title_short | The Generative Power of Collective Hope |
| title_sort | generative power of collective hope |
| topic | hope activism collective hope imagination abolition prisons |
| url | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/16644 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maggiefife thegenerativepowerofcollectivehope AT maggiefife generativepowerofcollectivehope |