Hope, radical inclusivity and artistic collaboration in times of political uncertainty [Editorial]

Abstract

In heightened times of political uncertainty about the future, this issue of the Scottish Journal of Performance invites the reader to hope. Hope is a slippery, messy, yet powerful affective narrative, which does not always directly point to the future, but yet compels us to move forward, to make creative forms of change, to act in solidarity and to transform our social imaginations. But hope is also inherently linked to hopelessness, as Mary Zournazi suggests in Hope: new philosophies for change (2002, p.15), hope as that ‘what sustains life in the face of despair’. During the editing of this issue, we were often to face the feeling that our political times might be catalyst to the loss of hope: a continued, unresolvable negotiation on Brexit at Westminster, consequent emotionally heated divisions across the country and continuous right-wing populist xenophobia against immigrant and refugee communities. The contributions curated here powerfully counter this feeling; their narratives, theatre practices, artistic methods and performances are indeed hopeful, generating a more joyful and crucially, liveable present.