ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter outlines the motivation for a book that explores the social dimensions of hope within the Swedish asylum context, emphasising its significance in understanding the impact of political and legal restrictions on individuals’ lived experiences. It details how a hope-centred perspective can offer insights at both individual agency and structural levels, seeing how they intersect in people’s everyday lives. The chapter also introduces the ethnographic research design that informs the methodological approach and the textual presentation. Finally, it reflects on the process of searching for ‘hope’ throughout the course of the research project that informs this book.
