What a fantastic event we had, on Wednesday 22 April, launching The Oxford Compendium of Hope in the library of the European Parliament!
The event, entitled ‘Hope: A Geopolitical Emotion’, was kindly hosted by Lukas Mandl, Member of European Parliament, who in his opening remarks commented on the topicality of ‘hope’, both for the European ideal as such, as well as for the concrete work that takes place daily within the European institutions. Steven van den Heuvel shared the story of the Compendium, and then Katharina Bauer, from the Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, offered reflections on the basis of her own research into ‘hope’ in the context of democratic life, pointing to both the promise of cultivating hope as a ‘political virtue’, as well as to potential pitfalls. The fourth and final speaker was Michael Kuhn, former Deputy Secretary General of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community. Among other things, he commented on Václav Havel’s famous reflections on ‘hope’. Hável observed that hope is certainly not the same as optimism, but is instead an orientation of the heart; in Hável’s own words: “It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense.” In the subsequent panel discussion between us as speakers, as well as with the participants, we talked about the importance of ‘hope’ as a social, shared emotion; the nurturing function of hope, even in the face of almost insurmountable odds (such as in the climate emergency), and the dangers of populism.
All of this was superbly moderated by Sarah Sheil, director of the Member’s Research Service, part of the European Parliamentary Research Service. Afterwards, there was the opportunity to network and socialize, during a reception.
We are grateful to the Stichting Paradosis for generously providing funding for this event. May the event spark hope!
