Awards

• Winner of Winner, 2022 Outstanding Book Award, Society of Professors of Education Winner, Jim and Helen Merritt Award in Philosophy of Education.
• Winner of Winner, 2022 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award Winner, Jim and Helen Merritt Award in Philosophy of Education.
• Winner of Winner, Jim and Helen Merritt Award in Philosophy of Education.

Overview

Democracy is struggling in America. Citizens increasingly feel cynical about an intractable political system, while hyper-partisanship has dramatically shrank common ground and intensified the extremes. Out of this deepening sense of political despair, philosopher of education Sarah M. Stitzlein seeks to revive democracy by teaching citizens how to hope. Offering an informed call to citizen engagement, Stitzlein directly addresses presidential campaigns, including how to select candidates who support citizens in enacting and sustaining hope. Drawing on examples from American history and pragmatist philosophy, this book explains how hope can be cultivated in schools and sustained through action in our communities -- it describes what hope is, why it matters to democracy, and how to teach it.This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.

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9780190062651

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Reviews

""Stitzlein (Univ. of Cincinnati) critiques the state of democracy and discusses a possible solution to reviving civil society. Faced with overwhelming hopelessness in political life, she argues the solution is to teach hope. Grounded in pragmatist philosophy, Stitzlein defines hope by articulating the ideas of John Dewey in relation to inquiry and building habits. From this groundwork she shows that pragmatist hope is the virtue that will help society face its struggles by building a democratic identity. ... Offering an insightful critique of Angela Duckworth's 2016 book Grit, Stitzlein also contends that parents and educators should emphasize hope rather than grit. In the end habits of hope will create new identities and tie communities together. This engaging commentary offers a thoughtful look at a possible collective path toward shaping democracy for a better future."" -- R. L. Wadham, CHOICE ""In this timely book, Stitzlein draws on the current political moment to envision hope not as a sentimental antidote to polarization and despair but rather as a foundation for pragmatist civic action. Grounding hope in a set of habitual actions that sustain both citizens and their society, this book illuminates ways to enact civic, pluralistic solidarity which would enable the American political community to transcend challenges to democracy through shared action."" -- Sigal Ben-Porath, Professor of Education, Political Science and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania ""John Dewey has a new champion. Drawing on the rich tradition of philosophical pragmatism, Sarah Stitzlein presents a bracing diagnosis of American schools and American culture. Everyone interested in improving American education should read this inspiring and instructive book."" -- James T. Kloppenberg, Charles Warren Professor of American History, Harvard University and author of Toward Democracy and Reading Obama ""This book is a welcome addition to the literature on hope, and helps push our understanding beyond familiar political slogans and cloying greeting-card messages. Stitzlein's background in political theory and pragmatism allows the discussion to range well beyond the usual confines of analytic moral psychology and philosophy of mind, while her expertise in the philosophy of education makes the book especially valuable for teachers interested in how hoping can help us learn, and how learning can foster new hopes."" -- Andrew Chignell, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Princeton University

In this timely book, Stitzlein draws on the current political moment to envision hope not as a sentimental antidote to polarization and despair but rather as a foundation for pragmatist civic action. Grounding hope in a set of habitual actions that sustain both citizens and their society, this book illuminates ways to enact civic, pluralistic solidarity which would enable the American political community to transcend challenges to democracy through shared action. -- Sigal Ben-Porath, Professor of Education, Political Science and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania John Dewey has a new champion. Drawing on the rich tradition of philosophical pragmatism, Sarah Stitzlein presents a bracing diagnosis of American schools and American culture. Everyone interested in improving American education should read this inspiring and instructive book. -- James T. Kloppenberg, Charles Warren Professor of American History, Harvard University and author of Toward Democracy and Reading Obama This book is a welcome addition to the literature on hope, and helps push our understanding beyond familiar political slogans and cloying greeting-card messages. Stitzlein's background in political theory and pragmatism allows the discussion to range well beyond the usual confines of analytic moral psychology and philosophy of mind, while her expertise in the philosophy of education makes the book especially valuable for teachers interested in how hoping can help us learn, and how learning can foster new hopes. -- Andrew Chignell, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Princeton University

This book is a welcome addition to the literature on hope, and helps push our understanding beyond familiar political slogans and cloying greeting-card messages. Stitzlein's background in political theory and pragmatism allows the discussion to range well beyond the usual confines of analytic moral psychology and philosophy of mind, while her expertise in the philosophy of education makes the book especially valuable for teachers interested in how hoping can help us learn, and how learning can foster new hopes. * Andrew Chignell, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Princeton University * John Dewey has a new champion. Drawing on the rich tradition of philosophical pragmatism, Sarah Stitzlein presents a bracing diagnosis of American schools and American culture. Everyone interested in improving American education should read this inspiring and instructive book. * James T. Kloppenberg, Charles Warren Professor of American History, Harvard University and author of Toward Democracy and Reading Obama * In this timely book, Stitzlein draws on the current political moment to envision hope not as a sentimental antidote to polarization and despair but rather as a foundation for pragmatist civic action. Grounding hope in a set of habitual actions that sustain both citizens and their society, this book illuminates ways to enact civic, pluralistic solidarity which would enable the American political community to transcend challenges to democracy through shared action. * Sigal Ben-Porath, Professor of Education, Political Science and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania *

Author Information

Sarah M. Stitzlein is Professor of Education and Affiliate Faculty in Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati. As a philosopher of education, she explores the purposes and practices of education from the perspective of social and political philosophy with an aim to uncover problems in education and envision better alternatives. She is president of the John Dewey Society, co-editor of the journal Democracy & Education, and winner of the University of Cincinnati Excellence in Teaching Award. She has earned grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Templeton Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Center for Ethics & Education, and the American Association of University Women among others. She speaks about her work often through public lectures, in radio interviews, via podcasts, and other outlets. Her books have won the Critics' Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association.

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