Looking Back to Move Forward

This chapter lays the philosophical groundwork for a new account of hope. It begins with the deep American roots of pragmatist philosophy to show how that tradition aligns with key elements of democracy and American life today. To set a foil for a pragmatist account of political hope, it describes problematic ways in which hope is often understood in more individualist ways by theologians, philosophers, and positive psychologists. Then, using an accessible approach and avoiding jargon, the chapter lays out central elements of pragmatism that build together to form an account of hope. These include inquiry, growth, truth, meliorism, and habits.

Hope in America?

This chapter describes the contemporary political landscape in America, where political despair is growing as citizens increasingly feel cynical about our political system, skeptical that they can impact public policy, and distrustful of their peers and leaders. It offers insight into some of the conditions causing political despair, including structural inequality, disconnect between polarized citizens, pursuit of personal material goods, and apathy. It shows how citizens often get swept up in campaign rhetoric, but quickly find themselves disappointed because the form of hope they endorse is not one that they actually act on in their lives. It traces presidential campaign slogans and speeches related to hope and suggests that we need a more sustainable alternative in order to truly support democracy.

Hope as Habits

This chapter explains that hope is not something that one merely holds or asserts, but rather is a way of life. This chapter focuses in on the unique pragmatist view of habits as proclivities and predispositions to act. Drawing on the work of philosopher John Dewey, this chapter explains how habits are formed and nurtured as well as changed through inquiry and reflection. It argues that hope is best understood as a set of habits that predispose citizens toward possibility and change for the betterment of each citizen and, often, others. The chapter explains how this understanding of hope is more deeply social and political than the individualist notions typically used. By linking citizens in action to each other, hope as habits chart new paths for reviving democracy, in part by building trust and agency among citizens. The chapter closes out by noting some of the benefits and shortcomings of a pragmatist account of political hope, some of which are most pronounced in the struggles of citizens of color.

Learning How to Hope

This chapter moves from a broader discussion of quality citizenship education and developing trends among youth to looking specifically at how hope and democratic habits might be taught in schools and civil society. It includes a call to develop communities of inquiry, nurture communication and deliberation, foster criticality and dissent, cultivate imagination and storytelling, view citizenship as shared fate, and build trust. It describes classroom practices and activities that can foster habits of hope, as well as opportunities to employ related skills and dispositions of citizenship. It extends this education beyond schools and youth into adults and civil organizations, where larger impact on today’s democracy may be made.

Hope and Democracy

This chapter explains why hope matters for democracy. It offers insight into both what Americans hope for and how they hope together. It shows how democracy and hope are mutually supportive of one another. This chapter considers how Americans work toward goals they set through hoping—a verb, a practice, rather than a noun or object we possess. It demonstrates how hoping connects us to other people and how our aims are best realized by working together with others. It describes how Americans might work together to tell new stories about our country and to set new goals for democracy and bring them into fruition. In part, this is done through harnessing democratic dissent—converting citizens’ frustrations into social movements that bring about change.

Teaching Hope, Not Grit

This chapter locates teaching hope as a central task of schools, especially within social studies classes and citizenship education. It exposes worrisome problems with one seemingly hope-aligned educational approach that has gained some traction in schools: developing grit. That approach is problematically individualist and perpetuates injustices and inequities in our society, which may perpetuate despair. To depict a better alternative to grit, this chapter describes quality approaches to citizenship education and locates cultivating habits of hope within them. More than teaching grit, teaching hope provides an approach that is more flexible, social, and political, all the while promoting action that improves one’s life and those of other people.