In this wide-ranging and multidisciplinary volume, leading scholars, activists, journalists, and public figures deliberate about the creative and critical potential of public imagination in an era paradoxically marked by intensifying globalization and resurgent nationalism. Divided into five sections, these essays explore the social, political, and cultural role of imagination and civic engagement, offering cogent, ingenious reflections that stand in stark contrast to the often grim rhetoric of our era. Short and succinct, the essays engage with an interconnected ensemble of themes and issues while also providing insights into the specific geographical and social dynamics of each author’s national or regional context.

Contributors: Celso Amorim; Akeel Bilgrami; David Bollier; Chiara Bottici; Victoria Brittain; Luis Cabrera; Julie A. Carlson; Neera Chandhoke; Allen Chun; Kevin P. Clements; Marjorie Cohn; Drucilla Cornell; Michael Curtin; Fred Dallmayr; Ahmet Davutoğlu; Victor Faessel; Richard Falk; Tom Farer; Johan Galtung; Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi; Stephen Gill; Penny Green; Anna Grear; Abdellah Hammoudi; Dayan Jayatilleka; Paul W. Kahn; Mary Kaldor; Catherine Keller; Chandra Muzaffar; Stephen D. Seely; Kamal Sinclair; Vandana Shiva, and Elizabeth West