This book theorizes the roles of optimism in anthropological thinking, research, writing, and practice. It sets out to explore optimism’s origins and implications, its conceptual and practical value, and its capacity to contribute to contemporary anthropological aims. In an era of extensive ecological disruption and social distress, this volume contemplates how an optimistic anthropology can energize the discipline while also contributing to bettering the lives, communities, and environments of those we study. It brings together scholars diverse in background, career stage, and theoretical approach in a collective attempt to comprehend the myriad intersections of anthropology and optimism. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have recently underscored the larger, longer-term catastrophes of climate change, ecosystemic collapse, social injustice, and antipathy toward scientific knowledge and those who produce it. In this context, exceedingly few anthropologists feel comfortable observing and documenting passively while their research communities face unrelenting waves of (un)natural disasters. We need to act. But we also need to hope. Discontent with the state of the world and cultural anthropology’s turn to increasingly positive, future-oriented, and engaged work have converged to unleash a courageously optimistic anthropology. This book is a timely springboard for this impactful and emergent approach.
Author(s): Anna J. Willow
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 222
City: New York
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of Contributors
Foreword
Introduction: Why Optimism?
What Is Optimism and Why Does It Matter?
The Anthropology of the Good
Time and the Future
Engagement, Advocacy, and Activism
Design Anthropology
Anthropological Engagements with Optimism
References
Chapter 1: A World Made Safe for (Future) Difference: Anthropology and Utopian Possibility
Burning It Down
Little Creatures
Between Coming and Becoming
Difference at a Distance
Relativism Reborn
Extinguishing Hope
Conclusion: Anthropology and Its Surplus
References
Chapter 2: Vertiginous Optimism: Optimistic Orientations in a Field of Chronic Crisis
Optimistic Orientations in a Field of Chronic Crisis
Ethnographic Vertigo and the Right Kind of Optimism
The Vertiginous in Social Theory
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 3: “Moving on and Moving Up”: Productive Angles of Exploring Optimism
Perspective Is Everything: On How We Choose to See the World
Forcing Ourselves to See the World Differently
Theoretical Implications: Why Thinking about Optimism Is Important
Methodological Implications: How This Changes What We Do
Optimism as Fuel for Advocacy
References
Chapter 4: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?: Planting Optimism in a Disrupted Ecology
Introduction
Methodology
Surviving the Fallout with Suisen (Narcissus)
Himawari (Sunflower) and Attunement to a Disrupted Ecology
Experimenting with Kosumosu (Cosmos)
Resuming a Normal Life with Kikyō (Turkish Bellflower)
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Chapter 5: Indigenous Optimism in the Colonialcene
Optimism and Indigenous Anthropology
Indigenous Land Education and Community-Based Conservation in the Cherokee Nation
Building a Strong Relationship to the Land
Teach by Showing; Learn by Doing
Communal and Spiritual Values
Having a Good Time
Setting Nets and Planting Seeds: Nmé Restoration, Slow Movement, and Facing Climate Change
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 6: Putting the Pieces in Place: Optimistic Futuring in Transition Culture
Optimistic Research: Transition as Self-Medication
Embracing (and Creating) Change
Optimistic Futuring in the Here and Now
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 7: Optimism at Scale: Exploring Everyday Activism in Atlanta’s Alternative Food Networks
Introduction
Everyday Activism: Practical Actions and Iterative Self-Making
Making Myself: Working as an Embedded Practitioner in Atlanta Food Systems
Scales of Everyday Activism in Atlanta Food Systems’ COVID-19 Responses
Community-Level Self-Making: Expanding Organizational Collaboration
Iterative Self-Making within Organizations: Adjusting Missions and Goals
Individual Iterative Self-Making: Optimistic Reorientations
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Notes
References
Chapter 8: Fusing Outrage and Hope into Acts of Resistance, Volunteerism, and Allyships
Emotional Fusions
Positioning Hope and Optimism in Research
Grief-Courage Prompts Social Justice Activism
Exhaustion-Elation Realized in Wildlife Volunteerism
Worry-Enthusiasm Shared in Intergenerational Dialogues and Allyships
Conclusion: The Promise of Transformative Actions
Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Chapter 9: Optimistic Anthropology in the Work of Systems Changemakers
Context and Background
The Problem with Problem-Solving
The Possibility of Systems Change
The Work of Systems Changemakers
Who Needs to Be Involved in the Work of System Transformation?
How Do We Cultivate Interdependency among the People, Communities, and Institutions Who Make Up a System?
How Did the System Come to Be This Way?
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Chapter 10: China 2060: Envisioning a Human-Centered Approach to Energy Transition
Introduction
China’s Energy Past and Present
The View from 2060: Envisioning China’s Energy Future
Anthropological Contributions: Linking the Empirical and the Ethical
Conclusion: On Fate and Optimism
Note
References
Chapter 11: Doing Anthropology Forward: Emerging Technologies and Possible Futures
Prologue
Introduction
Beyond the Bind of Techno-Optimism and Techno-Dystopianism
Technologies for Hope in the Construction Industry
Emerging Technologies for Ethical Optimism
Acknowledgments
References
Afterword: Optimism as Capacity
References
Index
