Hope: The Dream We Carry

This book offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary exploration of the emotion and practice of hope, drawing on original research and literature on culture, emotion, and mental health. It addresses the need for hope in the face of intensifying global challenges such as climate crisis, violence, and social inequality, and distinguishes hope from wishful thinking and blind optimism. The book provides practical applications of these ideas and outlines an agenda for further research on hope.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 150 pages
Publication date: 22 April 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This comprehensive and interdisciplinary book delves into the profound and multifaceted concept of hope, offering a rich exploration of its emotional and practical dimensions. Drawing upon the notion that hope is a dream that we carry in diverse ways, the book comprises five chapters that amalgamate original research with insights from the sociology of culture and emotion. Through this lens, the authors examine the concept of hope in relation to cultural and community practices, as well as mental health.

In the face of a rapidly escalating climate crisis, violence, hostility, pandemics, homelessness, displacement, conflict, slavery, economic hardship, and economic downturn, the need for hope becomes increasingly apparent. Moreover, there is a pressing need to confront hope itself, discerning what it is, what it can and cannot achieve, and distinguishing it from wishful thinking and blind optimism.

To accomplish this, the book employs a diverse range of examples from various spheres of social life, including health, religion, music therapy, migration, and social displacement. These examples serve to contextualize the idea of hope within situations of uncertainty, challenge, and pain, while also highlighting its practical applications. Furthermore, the book outlines an agenda for further research on hope, aimed at expanding our understanding of this vital emotion and its potential to inspire positive change in our world.

In conclusion, this book provides a valuable and thought-provoking exploration of hope, offering a comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspective that resonates with scholars, practitioners, and individuals seeking to navigate the complexities of our contemporary world. By exploring the relationship between hope, culture, and mental health, it sheds light on the ways in which we can cultivate and sustain hope in the face of adversity, and work towards a more hopeful and compassionate future.

Weight: 238g
Dimension: 150 x 209 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030698690
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021