Futurities of hope and resilience

We live in a world defined by uncertainty and unpredictability. In our research group, we are interested in the multiple roles hope and resilience have in an era of transformation and in the building of futures. By building on a wide range of social scientific perspectives, we study hope and resilience as resources of societies, communities and individuals. Our critical research brings forth the darker sides of hopeful future visions by examining also the ways in which hope and resilience (re)produce inequality and marginalisation. 

In our international POWERS network, we are interested in the societal structures that resilience-driven politics (re)produces and upholds. The origins of the network stem from Nordic cooperation. If you are interest in the politics and power of resilience, you are welcome to join our activities. An illustrative example of our research is the special issue Resilience and Racism in the Journal of Language and Politics.

Publications

Harmful Hopes in Sustainability Transitions

In the face of multiple transformations and sustainability challenges, this special issue explores the complex role of hope in shaping the future. The special issue has been edited by Johanna Ahola-Launonen (Aalto University), Sofi Kurki (VTT Technical Research Centre), Marjo Lindroth (University of Lapland) and Heidi Sinevaara-Niskanen (University of Lapland) to the journal Futures.

Hope and dispossession: Strange bedfellows in Indigenous-state relations

This article investigates the dynamics between hope and dispossession in the relations between Indigenous peoples and states. Drawing on critical hope scholarship and research on contemporary colonialism, this article delves into the question of reconciliation and the (allegedly) reorganised Indigenous-state relations.

Discourses on Racism and Recilience: Between power and resistance

In a global era characterised by prolonged crises, the seemingly neutral concept of resilience has gained central importance across political, academic and public discourses. This special issue sheds light on the often-overlooked racialised underpinnings and articulations of resilience.