Cultures of Optimism The Institutional Promotion of Hope [Paperback]

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.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

A brilliant diagnosis of what optimism is and what it does in every aspect of human society, Bennett's book is a bold trans-disciplinary statement which clearly and vividly illustrates a crucial but very under-appreciated fact: the human being is essentially an optimistic animal. - David Inglis, University of Exeter, UK

Bennett's Cultures of Optimism is a ground-breaking work on hope and optimism, topics that have been unduly neglected in sociology and cultural studies. Bennett exhibits impressive range as he explores the development and transmission of hope and optimism in politics, family life, the workplace, religious communities, and other cultural institutions. Best of all, he presents new theories and cutting-edge research in a style that is engaging and illuminating for all of us. This book will both ignite and set a high standard for future work on hope and optimism. - Sam Newlands, University of Notre Dame, USA

Hats off to Oliver Bennett for this wide-ranging treatment of what makes us look forward positively in life. By addressing 'cultures of optimism' across some of the most fundamental institutional frames of our life experience, he has certainly broken out of any conventional corral of cultural policy and greatly extended how we might think about this field. This promises to be a lsà