From Shattered Dreams to Dreams in the Making: Martin Luther King, Jr. on Transforming Disappointment Through Hope into Determination

2026/07/10 by Meena Krishnamurthy · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · #Indian History and Philosophy #Pragmatism in Philosophy and Education #Rhetoric and Communication Studies

paper · doi:10.1017/apa.2026.10034

openalex publication_date 2026/07/10 · openalex created_date 2026/07/11 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/11

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, I elucidate Martin Luther King Jr.’s views on the value and function of democratic disappointment. First, disappointment is intrinsically valuable as a morally appropriate emotional response to frustrated desires and expectations. Second, it is instrumentally valuable as a necessary precondition for political action. I close by exploring King’s account of how to constructively channel disappointment into determined political action through song.

Discussions

• ✨ New in JAPA: How can democratic disappointment become political determination? In “From Shattered Dreams to Dreams in the Making,” Meena Krishnamurthy draws on MLK Jr. to show how disappointment, [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]

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