We : reviving social hope /

We : reviving social hope /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Aronson, Ronald, 1938- author.
Imprint:	Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, [2017]
Description:	xiii, 200 pages ; 23 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Hope -- Social aspects. Social participation. Progress. Hope -- Social aspects. Progress. Social participation.
Format:	Print Book
Local Note:	University of Chicago Library's UCPress copy has original dust jacket.
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11052199

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9780226334660 (cloth : alk. paper) 022633466X (cloth : alk. paper) 9780226334837 (e-book)
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (pages [181]-196) and index.
Summary:	What was it about Barack Obama's campaign of hope that resonated so much not just with Americans, but people the world over? Have we really become so despairing - in the face of collapsed economies and the threat of violence around every corner - that a simple rallying cry to remember hope can have such a powerful effect? In this moving and thoughtful book, Ronald Aronson explores our relationship to hope at a time some have called the end of history, others the end of politics, in order to formulate a more active stance, one in which hope is far more than a mood or feeling - it is the very basis of social will and political action. Aronson examines our own heartbreaking story: a century of violence, upheaval, and the undelivered promises of progress all of which have contributed to the evaporation of social hope. As he shows, we are now in an era when hope has been privatized, when despite all the ways we are connected to each other we are desperately alone, struggling to weather the maelstrom around us, demoralized by the cynicism that permeates our culture and politics, and burdened with finding personal solutions to social problems. Yet social hope, Aronson argues, still persists.Carefully exploring what we mean when we say we "hope" and teasing hope apart from its dangerously misconstrued sibling, progress, he locates real seeds of change. He argues that always underlying our experience - even if we completely ignore it - is a sense of social belonging, and that this can be reactivated into a powerful collective force, an active 'we'.
Standard no.:	40027090463

Description
Summary:	The election of Donald Trump has exposed American society's profound crisis of hope. By 2016 a generation of shrinking employment, rising inequality, the attack on public education, and the shredding of the social safety net, had set the stage for stunning insurgencies at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Against this dire background, Ronald Aronson offers an answer. He argues for a unique conception of social hope, one with the power for understanding and acting upon the present situation. Hope, he argues, is far more than a mood or feeling--it is the very basis of social will and political action. It is this kind of hope that Aronson sees brewing in the supporters of Bernie Sanders, who advocated the tough-minded and inspired disposition to act collectively to make the world more equal, more democratic, more peaceful, and more just. And it was directly contrasted by Trump's supporters who showed a cynical and nostalgic faith in an authoritarian strongman replete with bigotry and misogyny. <br> <br> <br> <br> Beneath today's crisis Aronson examines our heartbreaking story: a century of catastrophic violence and the bewildering ambiguity of progress--all of which have contributed to the evaporation of social hope. As he shows, we are now in a time when hope is increasingly privatized, when--despite all the ways we are connected to each other--we are desperately alone, struggling to weather the maelstrom around us, demoralized by the cynicism that permeates our culture and politics, and burdened with finding personal solutions to social problems.<br> <br> <br> <br> Yet, Aronson argues, even at a time when false hopes are rife, social hope still persists. Carefully exploring what we mean when we say we "hope" and teasing hope apart from its dangerously misconstrued sibling, "progress," he locates seeds of real change. He argues that always underlying our experience--even if we completely ignore it--is the fact of our social belonging, and that this can be reactivated into a powerful collective force, an active we . He looks to various political movements, from the massive collective force of environmentalists to the movements around Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, as powerful examples of socially energized, politically determined, and actionably engaged forms of hope. Even in this age of Donald Trump, the result is an illuminating and inspiring call that anyone can clearly hear: we can still create a better future for everyone, but only if we resist false hopes and act together.<br> <br> <br> <br>
Physical Description:	xiii, 200 pages ; 23 cm
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references (pages [181]-196) and index.
ISBN:	9780226334660 022633466X 9780226334837