Methods of Hope

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Does “hope” propel social transformation? When is it a “cruel optimism” that entraps people in immiserating circumstances? This course considers how scholars in the fields of Queer Studies, Black Studies, and Anthropology have taken up the subject of hope. We will consider what methods are employed, and what these methods reveal about the social phenomena of aspiration, optimism, and hope, as they structure political formations, collective feelings, time, and identities. In addition, students will analyze case material from a range of social movements and the writings of political organizers, to trace the concrete methods of mobilizing “hope” in diverse political projects.