Belonging without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World

In times of heightened polarity - world wars or human rights atrocities - public figures search for words to capture humanity's instinct to fracture itself. Race remains a most prominent cleavage, yet is not the only one with destructive ability. Global horrors such as slavery, the Holocaust, expanding refugee crises, femicide, and state violence are all driven by the belief in an irreconcilable "other." We yearn for a language that is capacious enough to make sense of all kinds of oppressions, whether it be according to religion, ethnicity, ancestry, sexual orientation, or gender. Words like tribalism, prejudice, stigma, and caste have all been used to spur change. They all, however, fall short.

Belonging without Othering makes the case that the plights of all marginalized peoples must be understood through the lens of othering and belonging. Social justice lion, john a. powell, and leading researcher Stephen Menendian, the main popularizers of these concepts, together unearth the foundations and mechanisms of othering, drawing on examples from around the world, throughout history. At a time when millions of dollars are being invested in often lackluster DEI efforts, and justice advocates focus on narrowly defined and even competing communities, this book provides an approach that can help us turn toward each other, even if that means challenging the seemingly tolerant and benevolent kinds of othering. The key lies in acknowledging that there is no "natural" or "inevitable" other.

Ultimately the authors argue for a true "belongingness paradigm" that frees us from certain ideas of ourselves, while still celebrating our grand multiplicity. This paradigm requires a move from narrow to broad identities that knit people together in new ways. Brimming with insights that will challenge accepted wisdom about justice and equality, Belonging without Othering invites us to build a new, more compassionate world.