Abstract

This chapter introduces the motivation for the book, the methodology, and the arguments of _Hope Under Oppression_. It offers an overview of the emerging interest in the nature and value of hope in philosophy, and it also explains how the author came to the subject of hope from feminist approaches to moral, social, and political thought. Feminist philosophy helps to reveal the nature and scope of complex and overlapping systems of privilege and oppression, and in doing so, it can give rise to questions about hope. A feminist approach to moral psychology enables reflection on how hope is experienced and valued by people who live under oppression, offering new conceptual resources for understanding the nature, value, and risks of hope in human life.