Once upon a time our society was rich in stories. They united us and helped us to understand the world and ourselves. We called them myths.
Today, we have a myth gap. Does that matter? Alex Evans, campaigns director at Avaaz, argues persuasively that it does. In this time of global crisis and transition – of mass migration, inequality, resource scarcity and climate change – it is only by finding new myths, those that speak to us of renewal and restoration, that we will navigate our way to a better future. It is stories, rather than facts and pie-charts, that have the power to animate us and bring us together to change the world.
Drawing on his first-hand experience as a political adviser within British government and at the United Nations, and examining the history of climate-change campaigning and recent contests such as Brexit and the US presidential election, Alex Evans explores how tomorrow’s activists are using narratives for change, how modern stories have been used and abused, and where we might find the right myths to take us forward.
Alex Evans is the author of The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough? (Penguin, 2017), a book about the power of deep stories to overcome political polarisation and unlock systemic social and political change. Until March 2018, he was a Campaign Director at Avaaz, the 47 million member global citizens’ movement, where he spent most of his time running its Brexit campaign and also ran work on tax havens, and human rights.
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