Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Philosophy
Advisor
Miranda Fricker
Committee Members
Serene Khader
Linda Martin Aloof
Subject Categories
Ethics and Political Philosophy
Keywords
Hope, imagination, prison abolition, activism, utopia, feasibility
Abstract
In response to the moral crisis of mass incarceration in the United States, prison abolitionists call for us to expand our imaginations and build a world without prisons. This project aims to explore the role of moral imagination and hope in a utopian political project: the movement for prison abolition. From this contemporary example, I show that what we learn from activist movements can provide a basis for rich work in moral and political theory. While responding to the particular structural injustices related to mass incarceration is certainly not a theoretical task, rethinking many widely held beliefs regarding justice, retribution, moral repair, and social transformation is deeply philosophical. What do abolitionists mean when they ask us to engage our moral imaginations? What are the roles of imagination and hope in political activism, particularly within such a radical utopian movement? Does hope distract and mislead us, or is hope necessary to motivate political action?
Some moral and political philosophers have explored the nature of hope as well as the problems with political hope. A few have addressed moral imagination and mainly consider imagination as it relates to empathy. However, none of these works have addressed the central question of the role of hope and imagination within activist movements or the connection between the two concepts. As a result, the philosophical scholarship appears to consider imagination and hope solitary activities on the periphery of moral and political theory, despite their central role in activist circles. I address this gap by using the theoretical tools of moral and political philosophy to clarify the nature and importance of moral imagination and hope, so we may understand how best to work towards shared political goals through activism.
My project makes the following scholarly contributions. First, I provide a working definition of moral imagination, a concept undertheorized in analytic philosophy, characterized by six distinct modes. I illustrate each mode in theory and in the movement for prison abolition, focusing on imagining what is socially possible. I argue that engaging one’s imagination can shape the conditions of possibility, thus partially determining what can happen. Second, through exploring the nature of hope (both individual and collective) and responding to serious criticism of political hope and pessimism about moral progress, I argue that some form of hope is necessary for motivating political activism. However, this motivational hope can arise at the collective level as opposed to the individual level. I introduce and analyze an original concept I call “holding hope,” an interpersonal form of hope of particular interest to the prison abolition movement. Next, I clarify the aims and commitments of prison abolitionists, the distinction between reform and abolition, and defend the abolitionist position against a strong reformist objection. I conclude by identifying the prison abolition movement as a paradigmatic example of utopianism in political thought, a modality needed to address structural injustice built on naturalized concepts.
Recommended Citation
Fife, Maggie, "Hope, Imagination, and Prison Abolition" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6379
