Hannah Proctor
Burnout. The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat
In 2023, FORUM STADTPARK focussed on the feeling of powerlessness and collective forms of dealing with political despair. The debate found expression in the projects Archive for Ohnmacht and Facing Ohnmacht. Toolkit for activists and friends of solidary futures.
One year later, we are all the more pleased to welcome Hannah Proctor, author of Burnout. The Emotional Experience of Politcal Defeat, in Graz and to enter into dialogue about political feelings.
Presentation by Hannah Proctor followed by a response from Danny Hayward, and a discussion moderated by Rose-Anne Gush. The presentation & talk will be in English!
How to maintain hope in the face of despair?
In the struggle for a better world, setbacks are inevitable. Defeat can feel overwhelming at times, but it has to be endured. How then do the people on the front line keep going? To answer that question, Hannah Proctor draws on historical resources to find out how revolutionaries and activists of the past kept a grip on hope.
Her cogent exploration of the ways militants have made sense of their own burnout demonstrates that it is possible to mourn and organise at once, and to do both without compromise. With Burnout Proctor finally offers a different way forward - neither denial nor despair.
