Curating Spaces of Hope

Author Matthew Barber-Rowell
Publisher SCM Press £40
Format pbk
ISBN 9780334065104

In uncertain times, with society in crisis, a shared sense of hope is ever more important. This book expounds how individuals, communities, institutions and faith-based organisations can work together locally to engender a sense of hope in the shared public spaces in society. Barber-Rowell argues for a local collaborative leadership practice which he terms ‘transformational,’ and shows how this can facilitate such hope. He draws on and reinterprets for contemporary relevance the Christian social ethics in the William Temple tradition. He also draws at length on his personal life journey and several case studies he has been involved in, to illustrate his argument for the creation and curation of hope in shared public spaces. Enlisting several intellectual writers to bolster his case (Gramsci gets a whole chapter), his erudition shows. In some passages I found that this, plus his deep analyses of terminology and concepts and detailed narration of case studies required concentrated, patient reading. However, his impassioned argument should interest all who can potentially contribute to the kind of social movements he advocates. He argues that means all of us.

Reviewed by PETER WRIGHT

Theology and social ethics