The Discipline of Hope

(SAANZ 2022 Student Plenary Paper)

Abstract

To the average person, academia has often felt disconnected from everyday life, with academics simply offering an interpretation of the world. Yet, as Karl Marx has suggested, an interpretation of the world is simply not enough - academia must encourage and generate change. Exploring Mariame Kaba’s concept of hope as a discipline, hope can provide the foundation necessary for academics to generate positive societal change. Academic activists like Moana Jackson and Angela Davis exemplify this concept and show what is possible when academics use critique to generate positive change that transcends community boundaries. If academics wish to continue this legacy of change, then their academic work must be transformative rather than merely descriptive and to continuously practice hope as a discipline.