What are the functions of optimism in modern societies? How is hope culturally transmitted? What values and attitudes does it reflect? This book explores how and why powerful institutions propagate ‘cultures of optimism’ in different domains, such as politics, work, the family, religion and psychotherapy.
Table of Content
Introduction 1. The Optimism Imperative 2. Optimistic Democracy: The Politics of Hope 3. Optimism at Work 4. Great Expectations: Parenting, Optimism and the Child 5. Models of Salvation: Religion, Eschatology and Hope 6. Optimism and the Self: From Mind-Cure to Psychotherapy 7. Culture(s) of Optimism Endnotes Bibliography Index
About the author
Oliver Bennett is the author of
Cultural Pessimism: Narratives of Decline in the Postmodern World. He is Professor of Cultural Policy at the University of Warwick and founding editor of the
International Journal of Cultural Policy.
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