Slow Hope: Rethinking Ecologies of Crisis and Fear

In this essay, Christof Mauch sets out his concept of “slow hope.” Departing from Rob Nixon’s concept of “slow violence”—which describes the gradual, almost invisible nature of much environmental damage—Mauch highlights the mostly untold stories of quiet but positive environmental change that are often hiding in plain sight. The search for environmental hope does not downplay the magnitude of the problems we are facing, nor is it synonymous with unadulterated optimism. Yet, as Mauch shows, it is possible to look to hopeful narratives as alternatives to stories of decline—narratives which can help us to think creatively and act courageously in these times of converging ecological, social, and economic crises.

How to cite: Mauch, Christof. “Slow Hope: Rethinking Ecologies of Crisis and Fear,” RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society 2019, no. 1. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/8556.