Hoffen, wenn die Welt schmerzt

In a world shaken by crises, where social protests and calls for peace and justice are drowned out by violence and cynicism, the protagonist Leo sets out in search of hope. How does hope arise, and how can it be sustained at a time when it has become easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism? Leo speaks to activists and asks them about their hopes for the future. What would a world without borders and private property be like? A society without domination and inequality? Shared resources, socialised land ownership? How would that change our perspective on ourselves? What if everything belonged to everyone? What is life like without sexism, gender norms and discrimination? What does a climate-neutral world look like?

Based on ethnographic research, the protagonist’s story takes the reader on an emotional, empirical and intellectual journey through society and its imaginary worlds, exploring the connections between imagination, ideology and social change, and defying the zeitgeist, which has become caught somewhere between realism and world-weariness. In doing so, real-life experiences are visually linked to socio-theoretical reflections informed by the collected future scenarios. These are diverse stories of what a better world might look like, but above all, of what it feels like to live in such a world. A narrative that instils hope that better futures are possible.