Revolutionary Hope After Nihilism: Marginalized Voices and Dissent

Saladdin Ahmed's book Revolutionary Hope After Nihilism offers a practical philosophy of change based on post-Soviet revolutionary movements that prioritize the experiences of the most oppressed to create a new world order. He rejects ideologies of false hope and passive hopelessness and advocates for a critical theory of social emancipation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 25 August 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Saladdin Ahmed contends that our sole recourse in the face of novel and incapacitating calamities brought forth by capitalism and nation-state politics lies in establishing a new world by challenging the prevailing order. To attain this envisioned society, Revolutionary Hope After Nihilism presents a pragmatic approach to transformation that eschews ideologies of deceptive and passive hopelessness. By drawing the public's attention to the urgency of the present historical juncture, Ahmed introduces a critical theory of social emancipation grounded in post-Soviet revolutionary movements that have emerged on the fringes of the global social order. The proliferation of socially and politically exclusionary movements across various regions of the world, the ongoing ecological crisis, anti-Black racism, and the deepening despair inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitate a novel approach to revolution, which Ahmed argues must be firmly rooted in the experiences of the most oppressed members of society. Recognizing the epistemological potential of emancipatory movements, Ahmed rejects dystopian nihilism and directs our attention towards marginalized spaces as a means of breaking free from capitalist totalitarianism.

Saladdin Ahmed argues that our only hope is to create space for a new world by negating the existing order. To achieve this new society, Revolutionary Hope After Nihilism outlines a practical philosophy of change that rejects ideologies of false hope and passive hopelessness. Drawing public attention to the decisiveness of the present historical moment, Ahmed introduces a critical theory of social emancipation based on post-Soviet revolutionary movements that have emerged at the margins of the global social order. The rise of socially and politically exclusionary movements in multiple parts of the world, ongoing ecological crisis, anti-Black racism, and the concretization of despair brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic demand a new approach to revolution, which Ahmed argues, must be rooted in the experiences of the most oppressed in society. Realizing the epistemological potential of emancipatory movements, Ahmed rejects dystopian nihilism and positions our focus on marginalized spaces to break out of capitalist totalitarianism.

Weight: 420g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350269293