ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I describe and define terms for the purpose and content of the book and the line of research that we have been conducting for the past 15 years, seeking to problematize the more traditional and individualized conceptualizations of resilience and thriving. Both critical resilience and critical thriving will be introduced and discussed as a conceptual framing for the book. In response to criticisms of the more individualistic conceptualizations of resilience, which seemingly place the onus on the individual, the conceptualization of critical resilience emphasizes the context and power structures of the adversities often faced by the underrepresented participants with whom we have worked; to this end, many of these models begin to recognize a different, perhaps more holistic conceptualization of resilience and thriving. Therefore, attention is given to the ways of overcoming adversities that are often tied to cultural values, meaning-making, and their utility for the self and society at large. Overall, the chapter lays the groundwork for the main theme of the book, which is that through the strengths inherent in resilience and thriving an individual can find ways to survive and even grow in critically conscious ways in the face of human-created oppression.
