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Imagination: A Manifesto
In this revelatory work, Ruha Benjamin calls on us to take imagination seriously as a site of struggle and a place of possibility for reshaping the future.
A world without prisons? Ridiculous. Schools that foster the genius of every child? Impossible. Work that doesn’t strangle the life out of people? Naive. A society where everyone has food, shelter, love? In your dreams. Exactly. Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University professor, insists that imagination isn’t a luxury. It is a vital resource and powerful tool for collective liberation.
Imagination: A Manifesto is her proclamation that we have the power to use our imaginations to challenge systems of oppression and to create a world in which everyone can thrive. But obstacles abound. We have inherited destructive ideas that trap us inside a dominant imagination. Consider how racism, sexism, and classism make hierarchies, exploitation, and violence seem natural and inevitable—but all emerged from the human imagination.
The most effective way to disrupt these deadly systems is to do so collectively. Benjamin highlights the educators, artists, activists, and many others who are refuting powerful narratives that justify the status quo, crafting new stories that reflect our interconnection, and offering creative approaches to seemingly intractable problems.
Imagination: A Manifesto offers visionary examples and tactics to push beyond the constraints of what we think, and are told, is possible. This book is for anyone who is ready to take to heart Toni Morrison’s instruction: “Dream a little before you think.”
A world without prisons? Ridiculous. Schools that foster the genius of every child? Impossible. Work that doesn’t strangle the life out of people? Naive. A society where everyone has food, shelter, love? In your dreams. Exactly. Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University professor, insists that imagination isn’t a luxury. It is a vital resource and powerful tool for collective liberation.
Imagination: A Manifesto is her proclamation that we have the power to use our imaginations to challenge systems of oppression and to create a world in which everyone can thrive. But obstacles abound. We have inherited destructive ideas that trap us inside a dominant imagination. Consider how racism, sexism, and classism make hierarchies, exploitation, and violence seem natural and inevitable—but all emerged from the human imagination.
The most effective way to disrupt these deadly systems is to do so collectively. Benjamin highlights the educators, artists, activists, and many others who are refuting powerful narratives that justify the status quo, crafting new stories that reflect our interconnection, and offering creative approaches to seemingly intractable problems.
Imagination: A Manifesto offers visionary examples and tactics to push beyond the constraints of what we think, and are told, is possible. This book is for anyone who is ready to take to heart Toni Morrison’s instruction: “Dream a little before you think.”
192 pages, Hardcover
Published February 6, 2024
267 people are currently reading
5334 people want to read
About the author
Ruha Benjamin
11 books563 followersRuha Benjamin is Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. She specializes in the interdisciplinary study of science and medicine, race and technology, knowledge and power. Ruha is author of People’s Science: Bodies and Rights on the Stem Cell Frontier (Stanford 2013), Race After Technology (Polity 2019), and editor of Captivating Technology: Race, Carceral Technoscience, and Liberatory Imagination in Everyday Life (Duke 2019), as well as numerous articles and book chapters.
Ruha Benjamin received her BA in sociology and anthropology from Spelman College, MA and PhD in sociology from UC Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at UCLA’s Institute for Society and Genetics and Harvard University’s Science, Technology, and Society Program. She has been awarded fellowships and grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Institute for Advanced Study. In 2017, she received the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton.
Ruha Benjamin received her BA in sociology and anthropology from Spelman College, MA and PhD in sociology from UC Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at UCLA’s Institute for Society and Genetics and Harvard University’s Science, Technology, and Society Program. She has been awarded fellowships and grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Institute for Advanced Study. In 2017, she received the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
August 1, 2024
The premise of this book is fascinating, but I found its execution a bit eclectic. I would have really liked to get a better sense of the author’s own voice!
I liked Benjamin’s critique of the unfair distribution of opportunities to develop imagination. Imagination needs space and nurturing. Yet, the selective school system encourages only some “talented” youth to be creative and imaginative, while other people are discouraged early on. Instead of supporting everyone according to their skills, most people are forced to fit into a rigid mould from the start, their childhood imagination suppressed.
Overall, although the book addresses such a wide range of topical issues (incl. technology, capitalism, education, race, human-nature relationship etc.), I was disappointed that there were not many actually new points or perspectives. Much of it read more like a critique of the status quo (or indeed a collage of existing critiques), rather than a substantive manifesto for new imaginaries. So maybe I was disappointed because I had too high expectations. I do hope these ideas get developed further though!
I liked Benjamin’s critique of the unfair distribution of opportunities to develop imagination. Imagination needs space and nurturing. Yet, the selective school system encourages only some “talented” youth to be creative and imaginative, while other people are discouraged early on. Instead of supporting everyone according to their skills, most people are forced to fit into a rigid mould from the start, their childhood imagination suppressed.
Overall, although the book addresses such a wide range of topical issues (incl. technology, capitalism, education, race, human-nature relationship etc.), I was disappointed that there were not many actually new points or perspectives. Much of it read more like a critique of the status quo (or indeed a collage of existing critiques), rather than a substantive manifesto for new imaginaries. So maybe I was disappointed because I had too high expectations. I do hope these ideas get developed further though!
February 7, 2024
This was such an incredible book! The author discusses how Imagination is essential for social change. In order to change the world, we must first have a vision in mind. But she doesn't leave it there in some vauge terms - there are examples of so many different ways that the current larger social imaginations ideas are harmful and examples of how alternatives have been imagined and even implemented. She shows the importance of imaginations and how imperative it is to have creative solutions that center solidarity and community to change the systems and create a world we want to live in.
December 13, 2023
"Imagination: A Manifesto" by Ruha Benjamin, the distinguished Alexander Stewart 1886 Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, is an essential book for readers seeking collective liberation through the transformative power of imagination. This manifesto is a resonate exploration of how imagination can serve as a catalyst for dismantling deadly systems of oppression and envisioning a more just and equitable future.
In her latest work, Benjamin positions imagination as a tool for mental freedom and a force capable of inspiring radical change. With a focus on the intersections of science, medicine, and technology, she skillfully unpacks the ways in which oppressive systems, such as mass incarceration and digital surveillance, inflict harm on marginalized communities. By delving into the lived experiences of Black individuals, Benjamin sheds light on the urgency of dismantling these structures and underscores the potential for liberation through collective envisioning. But in order to envision we have to reclaim our imagination as a liberator tool and protect it at all costs.
This collective approach towards abolitionist teaching is a standout feature of "Imagination." Benjamin invites readers to consider the power of imagination in crafting narratives that go beyond the confines of the oppressive systems that cause harm to us. By emphasizing a collaborative effort to imagine and create a better world, the book serves as both a guide and a manifesto for those committed to social justice.
One notable aspect is Benjamin's insightful exploration of the distinction between rigidity and rigor, drawing on the wisdom of author Teju Cole. This reminder is especially timely in a world that often demands conformity, highlighting the importance of flexible, imaginative thinking as a source of strength and reclamation.
"Imagination" echoes the voices of Black creatives throughout history (love all the Imani Perry references!), emphasizing the importance of honoring our imagination as a tool for mental freedom, much like our ancestors did. The book is a celebration of the creativity inherent in the Black experience, providing powerful examples of the consequences faced by those who dared to imagine within the constraints of black bodies.
A compelling example shared is the story of Kiera Wilmot, whose curiosity and scientific exploration at the age of sixteen led to school expulsion and placement in an alternative high school despite her academic gifts. Benjamin uses such cases to underscore the historical challenges faced by those who dared to imagine beyond societal expectations placed on Black bodies.
"Imagination: A Manifesto" is a rallying cry to hold fast to our dreams. It serves as a manifesto for the power of collective envisioning, encouraging readers to embrace imagination as a tool for shaping new possibilities and advancing the cause of justice in a world that is hurting. Benjamin's work is not just a book; it is a call to action, an invitation to reimagine and co-create a world where collective liberation is not just a dream but a tangible reality.
In her latest work, Benjamin positions imagination as a tool for mental freedom and a force capable of inspiring radical change. With a focus on the intersections of science, medicine, and technology, she skillfully unpacks the ways in which oppressive systems, such as mass incarceration and digital surveillance, inflict harm on marginalized communities. By delving into the lived experiences of Black individuals, Benjamin sheds light on the urgency of dismantling these structures and underscores the potential for liberation through collective envisioning. But in order to envision we have to reclaim our imagination as a liberator tool and protect it at all costs.
This collective approach towards abolitionist teaching is a standout feature of "Imagination." Benjamin invites readers to consider the power of imagination in crafting narratives that go beyond the confines of the oppressive systems that cause harm to us. By emphasizing a collaborative effort to imagine and create a better world, the book serves as both a guide and a manifesto for those committed to social justice.
One notable aspect is Benjamin's insightful exploration of the distinction between rigidity and rigor, drawing on the wisdom of author Teju Cole. This reminder is especially timely in a world that often demands conformity, highlighting the importance of flexible, imaginative thinking as a source of strength and reclamation.
"Imagination" echoes the voices of Black creatives throughout history (love all the Imani Perry references!), emphasizing the importance of honoring our imagination as a tool for mental freedom, much like our ancestors did. The book is a celebration of the creativity inherent in the Black experience, providing powerful examples of the consequences faced by those who dared to imagine within the constraints of black bodies.
A compelling example shared is the story of Kiera Wilmot, whose curiosity and scientific exploration at the age of sixteen led to school expulsion and placement in an alternative high school despite her academic gifts. Benjamin uses such cases to underscore the historical challenges faced by those who dared to imagine beyond societal expectations placed on Black bodies.
"Imagination: A Manifesto" is a rallying cry to hold fast to our dreams. It serves as a manifesto for the power of collective envisioning, encouraging readers to embrace imagination as a tool for shaping new possibilities and advancing the cause of justice in a world that is hurting. Benjamin's work is not just a book; it is a call to action, an invitation to reimagine and co-create a world where collective liberation is not just a dream but a tangible reality.
March 17, 2024
I want to like this book because Ruha is brilliant. Her conversation about the book is moving and highlights important contrasts in what many are and are not willing to imagine. I think her intent is good but reading without the conversation, it reads more like a book of lament than a book about imagination. As a teacher I felt her anecdotes and references demonized schools and teachers even though she herself is a teacher. I think her intent is to say what would school look like if it wasn’t soul crushing? That’s not a bad question . . . but is there a way to imagine a better future that doesn’t demonize most people? I hope so.
February 26, 2025
"Imagination creates the situation, and then, the situation creates the imagination. It may, of course, be the other way around: Columbus was discovered by what he found." - James Baldwin
The limits of our imagination are reflected in the world around us. How many times have we heard the excuse that this or that thing just wouldn't be feasible, wouldn't be possible? Universal health care. Free college. Abolishing poverty.
Our world today has been imagined largely by narcissistic, self-absorbed elites who aren't interested in solving the societal problems we currently face. But another way is possible, and Ruha Benjamin shows us how.
This slim, 130-page book is packed with some big ideas!
The limits of our imagination are reflected in the world around us. How many times have we heard the excuse that this or that thing just wouldn't be feasible, wouldn't be possible? Universal health care. Free college. Abolishing poverty.
Our world today has been imagined largely by narcissistic, self-absorbed elites who aren't interested in solving the societal problems we currently face. But another way is possible, and Ruha Benjamin shows us how.
This slim, 130-page book is packed with some big ideas!
September 11, 2024
Read this in one day, couldn't put it down. Will definitely be re-read. A manifesto sorely needed in our current political and cultural landscape, as it invites us to democratize and liberate the realm of imagination and all our conceptions within it (ie, what it 'fundamentally' is to be a human being, who gets to be humanized and dehumanized) from colonization and oppression. It starts in our minds and our hearts and our relationships to each other and the natural world, not in our hyperindividual expectations or laws or by the elite rich trying to make their own societies for the rest of us to ascribe to. In other words BE A LIL DELULU DAMNIT <3
May 27, 2024
No book has brought me so quickly back to my college English major days. And not in a good way.
I only made it 40 pages before I gave up. This book reads like an English class essay that requires you to utilize learnings from ALL of the semester’s readings so you have to shove in citations every few paragraphs.
Benjamin can’t seem to go a single page without “As [so and so] said in [their book]…,” and it’s so often something she could have just said in her own words and not quoted. Like the concept that Bezos, Musk et al are selling “the idea that space represents a public hope, all the while reaping big private profits.” She quoted someone for that. Why?
If my English teachers saw me do that over and over like Benjamin does in “Imagination,” they’d have graded me poorly and asked why I was using quotations as a crutch and wouldn’t just use my own words. I’m shocked to have seen this from a Princeton professor.
I’ll also note that although I was drawn to the book’s topic of new ways to think about social change, it’s written so academically that it has a high barrier to entry, which I don’t appreciate.
E.g., “When it comes to reimagining the relationship between the economy and society, Arturo Escobar, author of ‘Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds’ points to the ‘forceful emergence of transition narratives, imaginaries, and proposals’ among scholars and activists alike.”
And it goes on like that. Who is this book for? I’m sorry, but I don’t understand being preachy about equality and then writing it in a way that you need an Ivy League education to understand.
I’m giving it more than one star, though, because I did glean some interesting tidbits here and there before giving up. But boy did I dislike “Imagination.” I really thought I’d love it, it seems so up my alley! Sigh.
I only made it 40 pages before I gave up. This book reads like an English class essay that requires you to utilize learnings from ALL of the semester’s readings so you have to shove in citations every few paragraphs.
Benjamin can’t seem to go a single page without “As [so and so] said in [their book]…,” and it’s so often something she could have just said in her own words and not quoted. Like the concept that Bezos, Musk et al are selling “the idea that space represents a public hope, all the while reaping big private profits.” She quoted someone for that. Why?
If my English teachers saw me do that over and over like Benjamin does in “Imagination,” they’d have graded me poorly and asked why I was using quotations as a crutch and wouldn’t just use my own words. I’m shocked to have seen this from a Princeton professor.
I’ll also note that although I was drawn to the book’s topic of new ways to think about social change, it’s written so academically that it has a high barrier to entry, which I don’t appreciate.
E.g., “When it comes to reimagining the relationship between the economy and society, Arturo Escobar, author of ‘Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds’ points to the ‘forceful emergence of transition narratives, imaginaries, and proposals’ among scholars and activists alike.”
And it goes on like that. Who is this book for? I’m sorry, but I don’t understand being preachy about equality and then writing it in a way that you need an Ivy League education to understand.
I’m giving it more than one star, though, because I did glean some interesting tidbits here and there before giving up. But boy did I dislike “Imagination.” I really thought I’d love it, it seems so up my alley! Sigh.
April 26, 2024
Recommending the book "Imagination: A Manifesto" by Ruha Benjamin. Lately, I’ve deliberately been immersing myself in material about racism and climate change and oppressive structures, etc. etc. Dr. Benjamin's book is about all those things but with the twist of reminding us that things can't change if we don't imagine something different. It ends up being a rather optimistic outlook at some of the tough subjects we've been tackling. She doesn't propose solutions but emphasizes that the first work is just imagining possibilities and what could be and that art too supports that goal. I really loved the book. It's short and a relatively easy read. Definitely on my recommend to anyone interested in making change. “It’s easy to maintain myths about impossibility when you crush all experiments.”
June 26, 2025
Really interesting essays about imagination and institutional racism; full of fascinating examples, at times a bit disorganised. Beautifully written and well researched, by a Princeton professor.
December 1, 2025
class read—i really liked this! it blended a lot of my interests super well and was digestible but still academic. enjoyment dulled a bit by reading in one sitting for class tomorrow, and i was a bit lost during some of the parts about technology. but i’d recommend to anyone honestly! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 23, 2025
Good summary of the movement and discourse with a focus on counter-hegemonic tech movements. There’s enough rigor to balance the more dreamy Movement aspects
April 22, 2024
I’m convinced that Ruha Benjamin never misses. This book was inspiring, evocative, and powerful.
June 18, 2024
Thoughtful, well-organized, threaded into ongoing up-to-date and historically tethered research. Clean, fluid prose. Hopeful and realistic.
August 12, 2024
“Some people’s lives are imagined worthy of protection, while others are left to play dead” -Ruha Benjamin
September 19, 2024
This book reawakened my imagination. I read it twice and want to read it again and use aspects of it in my class. Is that allowed since I'm an anthropologist and not a sociologist 😉
September 1, 2024
This is a really fabulous book for the current moment. There were so many lines that I'll go back to again and again for their insight and inspiration. A few of my friends know how Mariame Kaba is my favorite activist and thinker, and this book pairs so well with how Mariame educates. It's about imagining bigger and different and better ways of doing things, about exploring and trying out new ideas and new ways of solving problems, not being trapped by the same rigid ways of thinking through things. I think my teacher friends would appreciate this one. And it's short! Barely over 130 pages so you can knock it out quickly
June 9, 2025
Tremendously instructive and vision building, especially as I redesign the innovative lenses of my trade. I found this hard to follow at times given the rapid pivots (and preference for fuller elaboration Ruha makes) in discussing concepts throughout. The central theme of recognizing and embracing collaborative approaches to uncovering creative geniuses was my most encouraging takeaway. Definitely deserves a reread so as to properly digest the material, and most importantly, apply to my life’s lesson plans.
July 11, 2024
Highly recommend.
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February 11, 2025A nice book exploring the relationship between imagination and reality and how they influence each other, and ways in which we might expand and change our imaginations and realities
November 26, 2024
An affirming testament to the power of imagination in times of crisis, and a reminder to challenge and expand the parameters of our imagination given the voices and imaginings a society tends to center. I wish this book were twice as long, as sometimes I lamented not having more time to hear about an example or idea get a bit more fleshed out. Nevertheless, especially considering the times in which we live, I am eager to apply the tools and prompts this book encourages.
August 5, 2024
”Imagination, then, does not just animate sci-fi-inspired scientific endeavors or explicitly creative pursuits like Broadway musicals, viral TikTok dances, and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings. […] Imagination is also embedded in the more mundane things that govern our lives, like money, laws, and grades.”
Ruha Benjamin’s Imagination: A Manifesto explores the ways in which imagination has been used both as a tool of liberation — diving into the power and its potential to shape collective dreams and visions towards a more just society — as well as an instrument of oppression! The most prominent examples would be technologies and systems such as the use of robotic dogs and surveillance technologies, border walls, risk assessment algorithms, hostile architecture, and many others. Imaginations, for far too long, has been colonised by dominant ideologies, making us — especially people in the margins — too busy to and too unsafe to live and thrive, perpetuating a eugenics and carceral mindset where there are groups deemed more worthy to live than others — thus limiting our ability to envision a truly free and equitable world.
“Imagination doesn’t erase nightmares,” says author Imani Perry, “but it can repurpose them with an elaborate sense-making or troublemaking.” And if imagination can lead to troublemaking, is it any wonder, then, that those in power work tirelessly to squash us from having radical imaginations that dare to envision a world in which everyone can thrive?
Other topics mentioned including the powers of grassroots movements, justice beyond legal systems, making space for grieving and healing, and community building — what we need beyond a world governed by tech elites and futurists who ignore pressing issues like racism and sexism while promoting grand, dystopian visions of the future.
The book also comes with exercises at the end that are designed to reflect and revise on the themes on the book and beyond, that can be done in workshops and/or in groups.
Ruha Benjamin’s Imagination: A Manifesto explores the ways in which imagination has been used both as a tool of liberation — diving into the power and its potential to shape collective dreams and visions towards a more just society — as well as an instrument of oppression! The most prominent examples would be technologies and systems such as the use of robotic dogs and surveillance technologies, border walls, risk assessment algorithms, hostile architecture, and many others. Imaginations, for far too long, has been colonised by dominant ideologies, making us — especially people in the margins — too busy to and too unsafe to live and thrive, perpetuating a eugenics and carceral mindset where there are groups deemed more worthy to live than others — thus limiting our ability to envision a truly free and equitable world.
“Imagination doesn’t erase nightmares,” says author Imani Perry, “but it can repurpose them with an elaborate sense-making or troublemaking.” And if imagination can lead to troublemaking, is it any wonder, then, that those in power work tirelessly to squash us from having radical imaginations that dare to envision a world in which everyone can thrive?
Other topics mentioned including the powers of grassroots movements, justice beyond legal systems, making space for grieving and healing, and community building — what we need beyond a world governed by tech elites and futurists who ignore pressing issues like racism and sexism while promoting grand, dystopian visions of the future.
The book also comes with exercises at the end that are designed to reflect and revise on the themes on the book and beyond, that can be done in workshops and/or in groups.
May 8, 2024
benjamin challenges the norm of social movements needing to advocate for material changes. instead she argues we need to push ourselves to reimagine the dominant narratives that subconsciously control our decisions and our ways of seeing ourselves.
i like the premise of the book, but i find myself uneasy with its execution. to me this felt like a conglomeration of anecdotes and social and cultural references all related to how we imagine society to be and the often backwards way our imagination informs social financial and technological innovation (ie. tech elite, long termism, robot dogs to police humans instead of reimagining social services). i at first like the poetic language and seemingly connectedness of the writing of the first intro and chapter because it felt like actually beautiful nonfiction. but later i just felt like every three paragraphs was a new topic or a new silly small example that i didn’t have a core ethic to each chapter. the chapters didn’t feel distinct in takeaways that were tangible
however i also am left thinking if my dislike of this book which ends in tangible solutions and offerings of thinking and brainstorming exercise, is really evidence that my imagination is unexercised. i feel like whenever in school i am asked to do a creative exercise i get tired bored or feel like i can slack off because its just “creative things” but not practical. ie. in my disabilities class we “imagined” new solutions to the system and it felt like a silly project and its hard to reimagine things and it feels weird when we don’t have necessary resources and constraints
this leaves me to conclude that benjamin points out a necessary need to challenge more deeply and honestly completely dismantle the imagination we currently have adopted for something better more revolutionary and more rooted in liberation. however has she executed to me what this looks like means or how we get there? not yet.
i like the premise of the book, but i find myself uneasy with its execution. to me this felt like a conglomeration of anecdotes and social and cultural references all related to how we imagine society to be and the often backwards way our imagination informs social financial and technological innovation (ie. tech elite, long termism, robot dogs to police humans instead of reimagining social services). i at first like the poetic language and seemingly connectedness of the writing of the first intro and chapter because it felt like actually beautiful nonfiction. but later i just felt like every three paragraphs was a new topic or a new silly small example that i didn’t have a core ethic to each chapter. the chapters didn’t feel distinct in takeaways that were tangible
however i also am left thinking if my dislike of this book which ends in tangible solutions and offerings of thinking and brainstorming exercise, is really evidence that my imagination is unexercised. i feel like whenever in school i am asked to do a creative exercise i get tired bored or feel like i can slack off because its just “creative things” but not practical. ie. in my disabilities class we “imagined” new solutions to the system and it felt like a silly project and its hard to reimagine things and it feels weird when we don’t have necessary resources and constraints
this leaves me to conclude that benjamin points out a necessary need to challenge more deeply and honestly completely dismantle the imagination we currently have adopted for something better more revolutionary and more rooted in liberation. however has she executed to me what this looks like means or how we get there? not yet.
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June 17, 2024appreciate it as a concept but did not like the flow of topic to topic in the chapters, felt like it just meandered from snip to snip of different instances of imagination being championed or snuffed out through history... this is fine but i just expected a different kind of writing when something is labeled a "manifesto"? like we could have went half and half on history and practice imo
to that point, i wish more of the last chapter and appendix (concrete ideas and examples for imbuing imagination as a social practice throughout all of our lives) were throughout rather than the end
i might revisit because i was admittedly very bored reading it so it might be worth a second look
to that point, i wish more of the last chapter and appendix (concrete ideas and examples for imbuing imagination as a social practice throughout all of our lives) were throughout rather than the end
i might revisit because i was admittedly very bored reading it so it might be worth a second look
March 13, 2025
Illuminating. Don’t quite agree with some of her analysis and critique of schools (fair observations, but I wouldn’t necessarily draw the same conclusions).
Under the current political environment, as this books continues gaining traction and acclaim, very likely to land on banned book lists in ultra-conservative regions in the U.S.
Under the current political environment, as this books continues gaining traction and acclaim, very likely to land on banned book lists in ultra-conservative regions in the U.S.
May 28, 2025
More of a 3.5
As many others have said, this read more like a research paper than a manifesto. While relevant and important, most information covered in the book had little do with imagination in any way other than in a very broad sense. There was little exploration of the ways people use their imaginations to resist, or how art and creativity are vital to movements. The Justice chapter came closest to this, giving a few interesting examples, but overall the book focuses more on the imagination of the oppressor than the oppressed.
For example, Afrofuturism and indigenous futurism are briefly mentioned, almost in passing. No mention of solar punk or other such hopeful genres. However, many many many pages are spilled talking about eugenics and white supremacy, detailing the gruesome and violent realities of these imaginations. Important topics, to be sure. But not very hopeful or inspiring ones. It is hard for me to wrap my head around a manifesto that repeatedly asserts imagination is required to create new positive realities (something I wholeheartedly agree with) but then seems to only have an interest and passion in deeply exploring the imaginations of those who do immeasurable harm.
I think of a book like Braiding Sweetgrass, as a counterexample. While Kimmerer, the author, never shies away from the brutality of colonization and it's lasting impact on Native peoples, the book is full of hope, philosophy, science and spirituality in a way that is thought-provoking, inspiring, and challenging.
Perhaps it's my own fault for expecting something more uplifting, but I think I'm not in the wrong for thinking a manifesto titled simply "Imagination" with a gorgeous Afrofuturistic cover would be more centered on the history of and a deep exploration of the power of art, creativity and innovative thinking in revolutionary movements - or even, or also, as an act of individual and community-based survival, therapy, and self-care.
As has also been noted by many others, the author herself seemed entirely missing from this work (hence it reading like a research paper). It feels as if it's just made up of quotes from other people, lacking any real personal input or philosophy from Benjamin. A manifesto is supposed to be, in my opinion and understanding of the concept at least, something that rials up the masses by synthesizing information, yes, but also by adding something new to the mix - a unifying thesis that gives power to the content. Some passion, some philosophy, or some mighty "Aha!" moments that suddenly make your experiences in the world make sense in a way that can't be unseen. The best I could get to a thesis here is 'imagination is bad but also good,' which is not exactly getting me revved up to do much of anything except feel exhausted.
As many others have said, this read more like a research paper than a manifesto. While relevant and important, most information covered in the book had little do with imagination in any way other than in a very broad sense. There was little exploration of the ways people use their imaginations to resist, or how art and creativity are vital to movements. The Justice chapter came closest to this, giving a few interesting examples, but overall the book focuses more on the imagination of the oppressor than the oppressed.
For example, Afrofuturism and indigenous futurism are briefly mentioned, almost in passing. No mention of solar punk or other such hopeful genres. However, many many many pages are spilled talking about eugenics and white supremacy, detailing the gruesome and violent realities of these imaginations. Important topics, to be sure. But not very hopeful or inspiring ones. It is hard for me to wrap my head around a manifesto that repeatedly asserts imagination is required to create new positive realities (something I wholeheartedly agree with) but then seems to only have an interest and passion in deeply exploring the imaginations of those who do immeasurable harm.
I think of a book like Braiding Sweetgrass, as a counterexample. While Kimmerer, the author, never shies away from the brutality of colonization and it's lasting impact on Native peoples, the book is full of hope, philosophy, science and spirituality in a way that is thought-provoking, inspiring, and challenging.
Perhaps it's my own fault for expecting something more uplifting, but I think I'm not in the wrong for thinking a manifesto titled simply "Imagination" with a gorgeous Afrofuturistic cover would be more centered on the history of and a deep exploration of the power of art, creativity and innovative thinking in revolutionary movements - or even, or also, as an act of individual and community-based survival, therapy, and self-care.
As has also been noted by many others, the author herself seemed entirely missing from this work (hence it reading like a research paper). It feels as if it's just made up of quotes from other people, lacking any real personal input or philosophy from Benjamin. A manifesto is supposed to be, in my opinion and understanding of the concept at least, something that rials up the masses by synthesizing information, yes, but also by adding something new to the mix - a unifying thesis that gives power to the content. Some passion, some philosophy, or some mighty "Aha!" moments that suddenly make your experiences in the world make sense in a way that can't be unseen. The best I could get to a thesis here is 'imagination is bad but also good,' which is not exactly getting me revved up to do much of anything except feel exhausted.
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September 7, 2025I enjoyed this one. It is short and full of ideas that invite further exploration. It may trend a little academic sometimes, but overall Benjamin uses clear, accessible language. She covers a lot of ground, dipping us into various concepts and examples. She is fairly referential in that she uses a lot of quotes and ideas from other people. This is how I think too though, and I appreciate her weaving all of this together with her unique lens. She had me intrigued when she described the different meanings of the moon landing for white Americans and Black Americans.
Her main premise is that imagination is a powerful, potent tool that can be used to envision just futures as well as create the oppressive systems we face today. Her expertise is in technology in its social contexts so very broad with a lot of rich examples to draw on. Her examples focus on technology and racism and other forms of oppression, especially in terms of surveillance, prisons and policing, education, and AI, including the technofascism governing so much of our world today. There seems to be a slight focus on the worst things imagination can do, but she gives plenty of beautiful examples like the development of the app "Breonna's Garden" - a sacred digital space celebrating Breonna Taylor and grief - or contrasting the tech billionaire's seasteading with lo-TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) like the floating architecture of the Madan people of Iraq and the Uro people of Peru. She references a lot of different organizations, and some of them see defunct at this point, so I wish there had been a little more archival work on what these organizations were trying to do. Just as a reference for potential failures but also their best ideas and work that we can be inspired by and try to carry on.
She provides great reflective and speculative questions and exercises that I think would be lovely to discuss in groups especially. One of her main questions is why can't we imagine a world without prisons if science can imagine things like organs grown without bodies? I love this question as well as the idea that projects exploring alternatives to prisons have been deeply underfunded and surpressed. I also think most people believe that humans are fundamentally selfish, building on the idea of the rational economic man/actor.
A short worthwhile read for anyone looking for some high-level critical analysis into how imagination works and invitation to dream and practice a lively, livable world for all of us.
Her main premise is that imagination is a powerful, potent tool that can be used to envision just futures as well as create the oppressive systems we face today. Her expertise is in technology in its social contexts so very broad with a lot of rich examples to draw on. Her examples focus on technology and racism and other forms of oppression, especially in terms of surveillance, prisons and policing, education, and AI, including the technofascism governing so much of our world today. There seems to be a slight focus on the worst things imagination can do, but she gives plenty of beautiful examples like the development of the app "Breonna's Garden" - a sacred digital space celebrating Breonna Taylor and grief - or contrasting the tech billionaire's seasteading with lo-TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) like the floating architecture of the Madan people of Iraq and the Uro people of Peru. She references a lot of different organizations, and some of them see defunct at this point, so I wish there had been a little more archival work on what these organizations were trying to do. Just as a reference for potential failures but also their best ideas and work that we can be inspired by and try to carry on.
She provides great reflective and speculative questions and exercises that I think would be lovely to discuss in groups especially. One of her main questions is why can't we imagine a world without prisons if science can imagine things like organs grown without bodies? I love this question as well as the idea that projects exploring alternatives to prisons have been deeply underfunded and surpressed. I also think most people believe that humans are fundamentally selfish, building on the idea of the rational economic man/actor.
A short worthwhile read for anyone looking for some high-level critical analysis into how imagination works and invitation to dream and practice a lively, livable world for all of us.
July 31, 2025
I think this was a good read overall! For me, the book had a bit of a slow start, and teetered on being more repetitive than I preferred; in the sense of explaining how the freedom to imagine is important, and how our imaginations are held captive by the state, etc. I feel like there were more examples and pages spent going through the White Male Imagination, rather than exploring counter-imaginations and theories. In part I can understand because in the book, Ruha Benjamin talks about the need to seriously unpack the White Male Imagination dominating our reality before we construct new ones but also; I feel like that’s what most other books already do? Like, I understand the white imagination because I have to already exist in it; and have been fed it through media, law, and socialization. I understand much less of (and therefore need more of) the counter-imaginations and theories based on Afrofuturism, Indigenous wisdom, people over profit, play, and many more of the theories that were discussed towards the end of the book. I really liked these theories and just wished she could have explored each of them more, given them the pages they deserved instead of lumping them all together towards the later half of the book. I also really like the prompts and exercises and questions she provides in the end, it allows us to take the knowledge we’ve gleaned and put things into practice in a group immediately. I definitely wanna try this with organizing friends, friends I read with or discuss things with, and just like artist friends in general… it made me want to plan a hang with a small group of my friends (most of whom are creative anyways) and discuss these things with them. There is so much wisdom and cool shit and theories and examples of public art and infrastructure that’s so much more inspiring and generative to read about as opposed to harping on the same white billionaires that I’m painfully aware of already. I think it’s really because of that that I give the book 3 stars instead of 4. To me, this read feels more like “Discourse on Imagination” rather than a manifesto, if you will. I would love something of a follow-up book or something that explores more of that second half; they mentioned Octavia Butler a lot and I’m way past due on reading her work, so maybe I’ll delve into that a little ? We’ll see.
November 24, 2024
"Dream a little before you think." - Toni Morrison
This is one of the quotes that opens this book and it is a great launching point. Following the recent election - and honestly, following the last few, one of the things that has stuck out to me is how easy it is to look backwards instead of forwards when thinking about the challenges facing not just our country but our world. You have to wonder what would happen if instead of fighting to sustain a status quo that benefits some to the detriment of others, that prioritizes whose suffering is acceptable, that closes the door on collaboration and understanding between people - instead of all that, we were willing to stop, pause, listen and start to ask "what if" and engage in dialogue. Benjamin quotes Menominee educator and author Kelly Hayes - "A lot of things people say cannot be done have not be meaningfully attempted in the context of our lifetimes. It's easy to maintain myths of impossibility when you crush all experiments."
Parts of this work are fairly academic, and I probably need a second read to fully wrap my head around all the concepts in here. Some were definitely stretching me outside my normal patterns of thought (a thing I love) and I need to pause to consider the structural parameters around how I think about social issues. What runs throughout though, is a willingness to take a honest look, to engage in the hard work, to acknowledge the challenges of breaking long standing patterns of behavior and thought, and to find starting points to move forward. I appreciated that the book ends with a section on how to "stretch our radical imagination of a world in which everyone can thrive, and to engage a range of exercises and prompts for creative world-building.
"The most powerful revolutionary dreams of a new society don't come from little think tanks of smart people or out of the atomized, individualistic world of consumer capitalism where raging against the status quo is simply the hip thing to do. Rather social movements are incubators of new knowledge and the most radical ideas often grow out of concrete intellectual engagement with the problems of aggrieved populations confronting systems of oppression." - Robin D.G. Kelley
This is one of the quotes that opens this book and it is a great launching point. Following the recent election - and honestly, following the last few, one of the things that has stuck out to me is how easy it is to look backwards instead of forwards when thinking about the challenges facing not just our country but our world. You have to wonder what would happen if instead of fighting to sustain a status quo that benefits some to the detriment of others, that prioritizes whose suffering is acceptable, that closes the door on collaboration and understanding between people - instead of all that, we were willing to stop, pause, listen and start to ask "what if" and engage in dialogue. Benjamin quotes Menominee educator and author Kelly Hayes - "A lot of things people say cannot be done have not be meaningfully attempted in the context of our lifetimes. It's easy to maintain myths of impossibility when you crush all experiments."
Parts of this work are fairly academic, and I probably need a second read to fully wrap my head around all the concepts in here. Some were definitely stretching me outside my normal patterns of thought (a thing I love) and I need to pause to consider the structural parameters around how I think about social issues. What runs throughout though, is a willingness to take a honest look, to engage in the hard work, to acknowledge the challenges of breaking long standing patterns of behavior and thought, and to find starting points to move forward. I appreciated that the book ends with a section on how to "stretch our radical imagination of a world in which everyone can thrive, and to engage a range of exercises and prompts for creative world-building.
"The most powerful revolutionary dreams of a new society don't come from little think tanks of smart people or out of the atomized, individualistic world of consumer capitalism where raging against the status quo is simply the hip thing to do. Rather social movements are incubators of new knowledge and the most radical ideas often grow out of concrete intellectual engagement with the problems of aggrieved populations confronting systems of oppression." - Robin D.G. Kelley
January 10, 2025
Imagination, race, class, politics, healthcare, environment, wealth, philosophy, education, childhood... so much going on!
Each section could've probably been expanded into a whole book. This made it feel dense and choppy. I have never thought of imagination in this way before or made a case for it being so important (cool). Writing was difficult for me, academic, not something I would usually pick up. She discussed so many good points but some specific ones I liked were about 'homo economicus' vs a more collaborative view of human nature, 'degrowth', and techno-utopianists/the current ideology of the future.
Fav quotes:
"The first step, I think, is to reckon with who and what currently monopolize the space to envision the future, hoard the ability to dream, and privatize the resources it takes to materialize our imagination."
"Talk of 'tech innovation' often brings to mind images of settling the future-cast as white, male, cisgender, able-bodied, if not also 'enhanced' and post-human. Indigenous and radicalized peoples, who know all to well what it means to live in a dystopian present, get suspended in time, never imagined among those peopling the future."
Read this at home in VA under lots of snow. Timely moment to be able to read this because of everything that is going on politically with Carter's funeral, California's wildfires, DOGE officially hiring people. It's a crazy time to be imagining the future and dissecting the past.
Each section could've probably been expanded into a whole book. This made it feel dense and choppy. I have never thought of imagination in this way before or made a case for it being so important (cool). Writing was difficult for me, academic, not something I would usually pick up. She discussed so many good points but some specific ones I liked were about 'homo economicus' vs a more collaborative view of human nature, 'degrowth', and techno-utopianists/the current ideology of the future.
Fav quotes:
"The first step, I think, is to reckon with who and what currently monopolize the space to envision the future, hoard the ability to dream, and privatize the resources it takes to materialize our imagination."
"Talk of 'tech innovation' often brings to mind images of settling the future-cast as white, male, cisgender, able-bodied, if not also 'enhanced' and post-human. Indigenous and radicalized peoples, who know all to well what it means to live in a dystopian present, get suspended in time, never imagined among those peopling the future."
Read this at home in VA under lots of snow. Timely moment to be able to read this because of everything that is going on politically with Carter's funeral, California's wildfires, DOGE officially hiring people. It's a crazy time to be imagining the future and dissecting the past.
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