Belonging without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World

by John A. Powell

In a world marked by extreme divisions-from global conflicts to grave human rights violations-public figures struggle to find words that capture humanity's inclination to fracture itself. Throughout history, humanity has been plagued by unspeakable horrors like slavery, colonialism, the Holocaust, rampant refugee crises, femicide, and state brutality, all rooted in the belief in an irreconcilable "other." We yearn for a language that is capacious enough to make sense of all kinds of oppressions-whether tied to religion, ethnicity, ancestry, sexual orientation, ability, or gender. Terms like tribalism, prejudice, stigma, and caste have all been used to ignite change. They all, however, fall short. Belonging without Othering is a profound exploration arguing that the struggles faced by marginalized groups can only be fully grasped through the lenses of othering and belonging. Social justice lion and scholar john a. powell, and acclaimed researcher Stephen Menendian, the main champions of these ideas, unearth the mechanisms of othering, drawing on examples from around the world and throughout history. In a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are being contested, and activists narrowly concentrate on specific and sometimes conflicting communities, this book offers an approach that encourages us to turn toward one another-even if it involves questioning seemingly tolerant and benevolent forms of othering. Crucially, the authors assert that there's no inherent or inevitable notion of an "other." The authors make a compelling case for a true "belongingness paradigm," one that liberates us from rigid self-concepts while celebrating our rich diversity. This paradigm hinges on transitioning from narrow to expansive identities that bind people together in unprecedented ways. As the threat of authoritarianism grows across the globe, powell and Menendian make the case that belonging without othering is the natural but not the inevitable next step of our long journey toward creating truly equitable democracies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Social Justice, Politics, Psychology, Activism, Race

448 pages, Hardcover

Published April 23, 2024

About the author

John Anthony Powell

Reviews

[janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

As DEI gets legislated out of school, work, and society, powell and Menendian provide a language to talk about and to affect a place where everyone belongs, without making anyone feel like they are being othered. This is a necessary read for those who work with or interact with other people.

[Chloe Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I desperately want to give this book more than 2 stars. Its message is one of vital importance for our times and contains such an enlightening retelling of many global atrocities and the mechanisms, frameworks and thinking behind such actions, shedding light on why these things happen, and more importantly how we can prevent them happening again and work to repair the damage done.

However, firstly, I have never read a book with so many spelling and grammatical errors. It made the reading experience jarring and interrupted. One chapter especially had multiple mistakes per paragraph which made the flow challenging and detracts from the content. I would expect something from a revered educational institute (Stanford University Press) to have better editing processes in place.

Secondly, I really struggled with the condescending tone throughout. The first few chapters of the book go to great lengths and pains to disparage and tear apart other ideas, studies, and works on the same topic, in an attempt to show the superiority of the authors ideas (which, at that stage of the book, had not yet been expounded). In my opinion this was wholly unnecessary and the authors should have let their framework and appeals speak for themselves.

Thirdly, the book quotes a (flawed) study that describes women (and young people) as more easily influenced than men. In a book about trying to find ways to bridge and find commonality and belonging, I fear this may have had the complete opposite effect in turning a whole demographic away.

Lastly, I personally found the writing style to be superfluous, very repetitive, and long winded.

I would love to see this book rewritten in a more accessible way that would ensure it could reach the eyes, ears, minds and hearts of so many more people.

[Another Old Man Historian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary work, I enjoyed taking time to read this and considering how myself and other groups I belonged to could create better spaces for everybody to belong. I enjoyed the discussion around geopolitics being connected to the phenomenon of othering.

If I had to critique, and I don’t know if critique-ing a work you consider necessary is warranted, there are a few spelling errors and the didactic style might have made it longer but in reorganizing focus not around racism, discrimination, or any of the other issues plaguing our society but into a higher or more bridged concept, the authors do well to thoroughly explain with real world evidence their stance and how it can reconstitute society for the better.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A truly insightful look at the issues of belonging and othering with excellent suggestions. The thoughtfulness is good although the history is only ok.

[Christianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of an academic read than I was expecting or was ready for, but I am glad I worked through it.

An excellent discussion that explains both the tears in the fabric of our society and what might be done to repair them.

A big project, for sure, and we are not moving in the right direction at the moment, but we are worth it.

Of particular note:
--the discussion about DEI programs and ways they succeed and fail
--The four elements of belonging: inclusion, connection, recognition and agency
--the practice of bridging through telling our stories, that I think is a place libraries can play a role
--the necessity of broadening our identities and understanding how they change and are changed for us
--the practices of demagogues that exacerbate othering

[Therese Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is an important book. It is very academic. The title is misleading. I found it to be a thorough discussion of othering and the nuances of the various dynamics of othering. Belonging, I felt was mostly brought up in the context of how it goes wrong and others/harms. I do not believe it is a book on “how we save ourselves and the world,” instead it is a thorough discussion of what has gone wrong. Admittedly, I believe discovering the many ways our attempts have gone wrong is an important step in finding out how we save ourselves and the world, but this book only has a few nods in that direction. The reader is left on their own to pick up the pieces of their own broken lives/world and try to create a new way forward.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply impactful and incredibly well researched, this book left me with much to think about and a whole list of additional books to read.

[Jeannette Tenthorey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the concept, found the book a real academic slog with maybe not a ton to say practically

[Lahreign · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite thick, academic, and informative. I loved the book, insights, research, and thoughtfulness. I caught myself many times feeling resistance as I read passages about solidarity and a bigger "we". It's a great book for those who want to study the concepts of identity, othering, and a proposed pathway to belonging. This is a great foundational book to add if you are interested in emergent strategies.