Embracing difference and cultivating hope: The transformative potential of Possibility Studies

Abstract

This ending commentary on this inaugural issue of Possibility Studies and Society surveys the papers submitted by over 30 scholars from diverse fields and backgrounds that explore the emerging field of Possibility Studies through the lens of their respective disciplines and theoretical perspectives. It draws out the complexities of the really and ideally possible, the future and the past, and reality and imagination before moving to examine the purpose of Possibility Studies with a focus on political change, education, and hope. It calls for an embrace of non-dualistic attitudes across all domains and an engagement with the energy generated by collaborative difference.