Cultivating Hope: Caring for a Collective Emotion in the Ultima Generazione Movement

This article aims to explore hope as an object of care in times of climate change-related fear, focusing on the 'Ultima Generazione' (UG) movement in Italy. Despite their frequent use of apocalyptic rhetoric, UG activists are driven not merely by predictions of the end of the world but by the cultivation of 'radical' hopes that challenge prevailing climate narratives. This study uses ethnographic research, including semi-structured interviews and direct observations, to analyze how UG manages both individual and collective emotions. In particular, the movement’s activities examined here aim to transform fear and (eco)anxiety into a responsive hope toward future threats. The research reveals two primary practices of UG concerning hope: the establishment of a supportive, grassroots community, and the dramatic staging of disruptive actions, such as traffic blockades, vandalizing museum artworks, defacing historic buildings, and other demonstrative acts. These activities, while diverse, are united by a shared objective: the cultivation of hope as a form of care.