Reclaiming Idealism in a Hyperpolitical Global Landscape: The Power of the Comparative

Abstract

For activists, scholars, and thinkers, the current state of our hyperpolitical global landscape can be daunting, especially as we consider engaging and responding to the growing political vitriol and hyperbole of our times. Over the past few years, I have wondered a great deal about how to sustain idealism during troubled times in a field such as ours. Contemplating the very notion of idealism, a potentially nebulous, misunderstood, and untenable value, led me down a rabbit hole to consider both philosophically and practically our relationship with idealism across time and place as well as possibility. It also led me to seek interconnections inherent in other similar words, such as “ideas,” “ideals,” and “ideologies,” each taking different paths toward variable end points. This address is the result of that exploration, grounded in theory, research, policy, and practice, while also drawing from my work as an activist, scholar, and teacher over the past 3 decades.