Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration

Radical Hope as a Transformative Praxis in the Face of Hate and Intolerance

Ashley E. Nickels

Kent State University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5183-246X

Camille Tinnin

Kent State University

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4058-0854

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jsepa.v3i2.6774

Keywords: radical hope, social equity, collective action

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Abstract

Radical hope is a transformative approach suited to sustain collective resilience in moments of crisis and profound disorientation. In our current moment of democratic backsliding, vilification and scapegoating of people and groups, increased hate crime incidence, and increased sociopolitical polarization, radical hope offers an approach that bridges theoretical and historical insights with actionable strategies. It can serve as a catalyst for collective action, enabling communities to confront systemic oppression while imagining and constructing just alternatives. We examine four theoretical and practical dimensions of radical hope: envisioning beyond the present, collective resilience, moral anchoring, and sustained engagement. In doing so, we argue for integrating radical hope as a transformative approach, particularly for public administration scholars and practitioners as they respond to threats to democracy, including challenges to values of social equity and inclusion.

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Author Biographies

Ashley E. Nickels, Kent State University

Ashley E. Nickels (she/her) (anickel5@kent.edu) is an associate professor in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies at Kent State University and co-editor of Administrative Theory & Praxis. She studies local democracy, civic power, and urban governance.

Camille Tinnin, Kent State University

Camille Tinnin (she/her) (ctinnin@kent.edu) recently completed her PhD in political science at Kent State University specializing in conflict analysis and management and American politics. She studies prefigurative politics, radical imagination, and social movements.

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