Civic ImaginationMain MenuThe Big Map: an Overview of the Civic ImaginationThe Big Map of Civic Imagination all over the worldNon FictionReal World Instances that inspire Civic ImaginationPopular Culture/FictionalCharacters, stories and fictional universes that resonate with communities and inspire actionMyth and FolkloreStories from cultures around the world that inspire Civic ImaginationReligiousStories based in faith and religionsMigrating the StoriesExplore the Big Map and then remix Imagination by migrating stories to new localesContributorsPeople who contributed stories to the projectGabriel Peters-Lazaro3bc3965831120bc593545fef6d0da73657e21ea0Emilia Yang0306ec8482b0946a4ad881acf758effb11741533
Just Add Imagination
12016-05-20T11:18:29-07:00Sangita Shresthova497a02d289c277275bc5ece441097deedf8135e791991Attribution: Steve Kay, https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevefaeembra/plain2016-05-20T11:18:30-07:00Sangita Shresthova497a02d289c277275bc5ece441097deedf8135e7
“We cannot change the world unless we imagine what a better world might look like.”
—Henry Jenkins (2016)
Scratch an activist and you’re apt to find a fan. It’s no mystery why: fandom provides a space to explore fabricated worlds that operate according to different norms, laws, and structures than those we experience in our “real” lives. Fandom also necessitates relationships with others: fellow fans with whom to share interests, develop networks and institutions, and create a common culture. This ability to imagine alternatives and build community, not coincidentally, is a basic prerequisite for political activism.
—Steven Duncombe (2012a)
We define civic imagination as the capacity to imagine alternatives to current social, political, or economic conditions; one cannot change the world unless one can imagine what a better world might look like. Too often, our focus on contemporary problems makes it impossible to see beyond immediate constraints and engender a sense that youth voices and action are inconsequential.
This Atlas contains a collection of stories that inspire the civic imagination originating from different parts of the world. Gathered from different places around the world, the stories fit three general genres:
traditional (mythic/religious and folk)
popular culture
biography of existing person (historical or contemporary)
The stories were then migrated, remixed and re-created combining elements from one or more stories.
Find out more about the contributors and their stories here.