ABSTRACT
Falk and Faessel introduce a series of related contributions aiming to liberate public imagination from largely nationalist frames of reference. The rise of ultra-nationalist populism marks a regressive backlash against globalization. The resurgence of right-wing nationalism and, in many cases, authoritarianism are partly due to deficiencies of public discourse and lapses in the political and moral imagination of dominant social classes. Demagoguery, nativist and xenophobic discourses, moral absolutism, the increasing dominance of elite interests, monetary manipulations, and media passivity threaten humane consensual formal and informal political life. Public imagination needs to move beyond the narrow realm of national interests and concerns in order to respond to global realities of increasingly problematic interconnectivity and its societal effects. This introduction, and the contributions that follow hope to stimulate culturally and historically informed reflection on moral/ethical imagination across borders of countries, civilizations, religions, and other relevant sources of identity. A plurally conceived “public imagination” suggests connectivities across public spheres, counter-publics, public opinion, public interest, public reasoning, public space, social and spiritual imaginaries. Falk and Faessel underscore the need for research on the theoretical and practical dimensions of public imagination(s) toward improving discourse and policy on threats confronting the nation, the world, and humanity.
