In this paper, I propose an anthropological discussion of the correlation of utopia and optimism, in relation with ideas of personal and collective sacrifice. To do so, I will invoke my ethnographic research on political activism in Angola, particularly the so‐called Revolutionary Movement – a group of young activists challenging Angola’s authoritarian regime. During recent Luanda fieldwork, I observed how most of the ‘Revús’ engaged in self‐sacrificial behaviour, exposing themselves to police brutality, imprisonment and social discrimination, in their struggle towards a brighter collective future. This optimistic and somewhat Gandhian stance marks a dramatic departure from the sense of fatalism and ‘culture of fear’ that seems otherwise to prevail in Angola. I will question if and in what terms such stances are ‘utopian’ and configure ‘principles of hope’, as Ernst Bloch would put it. In the process, I will perform a critical interrogation of the correlation of utopia, hope and optimism.

中文翻译：

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乐观的乌托邦：安哥拉革命运动对政治转型的牺牲和期望

在本文中，我提出了关于个人理想和集体牺牲观念的乌托邦与乐观主义之间关系的人类学讨论。为此，我将援引有关安哥拉政治行动主义的人种学研究，特别是所谓的“革命运动”，这是一群挑战安哥拉独裁政权的年轻激进主义者。在最近的罗安达田野调查中，我观察到大多数“Revús”如何进行自我牺牲的行为，使他们在争取更光明的集体未来的斗争中遭受警察的残暴，监禁和社会歧视。这种乐观的，有点甘地主义的立场，标志着人们对宿命论和“恐惧文化”的看法大相径庭。我将质疑恩斯特·布洛赫（Ernst Bloch）所说的这种立场是否是乌托邦式的，用什么术语来形容“希望原则”。在这个过程中，我将对乌托邦，希望和乐观的相互关系进行批判性的询问。