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Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More Just Communities
A social psychologist reveals how to nudge local cultures toward positive structural change by moving people from individual action to collective action.
How can ordinary people fight for social justice? Can individual actions change structural inequality? In this book, social psychologist Nilanjana Dasgupta offers a science-driven approach to achieving social change, arguing that small changes to the “wallpaper”—the local cultures around us—are far more effective in producing structural change locally than seeking change through bias awareness training, symbolic acts, or relying solely on good intentions.
By integrating knowledge across diverse fields—including psychology, neuroscience, education, sociology, economics, public health, urban studies, cultural geography, and landscape architecture—Dasgupta shows how attitudes and beliefs take root in our mind based on what we see and hear every day. This wallpaper nudges our behavior to create or reinforce small inequalities that go unnoticed and accumulate over time. Disrupting these patterns and habits requires creating opportunities for social mixing across lines of difference, allowing new relationships to form, and promoting a better understanding of unfamiliar others’ experiences, followed by organizing and collective action. Together, these types of experiences and actions bring real change within our reach—in workplaces, in neighborhoods, in cities and towns. Dasgupta provides fresh, actionable approaches for everyone interested in working toward justice for all.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
How can ordinary people fight for social justice? Can individual actions change structural inequality? In this book, social psychologist Nilanjana Dasgupta offers a science-driven approach to achieving social change, arguing that small changes to the “wallpaper”—the local cultures around us—are far more effective in producing structural change locally than seeking change through bias awareness training, symbolic acts, or relying solely on good intentions.
By integrating knowledge across diverse fields—including psychology, neuroscience, education, sociology, economics, public health, urban studies, cultural geography, and landscape architecture—Dasgupta shows how attitudes and beliefs take root in our mind based on what we see and hear every day. This wallpaper nudges our behavior to create or reinforce small inequalities that go unnoticed and accumulate over time. Disrupting these patterns and habits requires creating opportunities for social mixing across lines of difference, allowing new relationships to form, and promoting a better understanding of unfamiliar others’ experiences, followed by organizing and collective action. Together, these types of experiences and actions bring real change within our reach—in workplaces, in neighborhoods, in cities and towns. Dasgupta provides fresh, actionable approaches for everyone interested in working toward justice for all.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
- GenresNonfiction
280 pages, Hardcover
Published January 7, 2025
8 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 13, 2025
Dr. Nilanjana's metaphor of wallpaper to explore the invisible expectations and assumptions we move around the cabin of life with created a web of reflection. Not only as a backdrop for what we don't know in our lives (like wallpaper in our rooms) about ourselves and our families, she offers hopeful advice, backed by science, for ways to broaden our perspectives, especially for those of us with privilege.
She calls out 4 varieties of wallpaper:
1) group identities of those being valued and recognized in influential roles, or the “portraits on the walls” that all look the same
2) our material culture like the design of buildings and neighborhoods and access to technology, or not
3) our symbolic culture communicated through popular stories shared by word of mouth and internalized — like working hard will make you successful and any inequality is deserved
4) everyday norms and expectations allowing people to navigate, but if people don't know the rules of the game, they miss opportunities.
Exploring how in my life (family, work, community), I live in my own bubbles. In an effort to step out and learn more about people not like me, she offers food and music as a way to have a conversation and hear other people's stories.
Such helpful advice to take baby steps in an effort to effect change, which takes collective action.
She calls out 4 varieties of wallpaper:
1) group identities of those being valued and recognized in influential roles, or the “portraits on the walls” that all look the same
2) our material culture like the design of buildings and neighborhoods and access to technology, or not
3) our symbolic culture communicated through popular stories shared by word of mouth and internalized — like working hard will make you successful and any inequality is deserved
4) everyday norms and expectations allowing people to navigate, but if people don't know the rules of the game, they miss opportunities.
Exploring how in my life (family, work, community), I live in my own bubbles. In an effort to step out and learn more about people not like me, she offers food and music as a way to have a conversation and hear other people's stories.
Such helpful advice to take baby steps in an effort to effect change, which takes collective action.
January 23, 2025
I wanted to express my deep appreciation for your publication, Change the Wallpaper, which has profoundly impacted my journey as a first-generation student navigating higher education. The insights in your book, particularly around the hidden pathways to success and overcoming imposter syndrome, have boosted my confidence in applying to graduate schools. Before reading it, I found myself downplaying my abilities and not considering prestigious schools. However, your writing helped me understand that my insecurities weren’t about my competence but rather about feeling out of place as a marginalized student. Thanks to your encouragement, I applied to these programs with confidence that I belong in academic spaces. Your work is a valuable resource, and I heavily encourage other first-generation students to take advantage of your book as a tool for success.
January 7, 2025
Professor Dasgupta is a highly accomplished and respected psychologist. In this excellent book, she outlines an approach to advancing equity that is counter-intuitive: to make big structural changes, make small local changes. It is a powerful and compelling argument that is rarely made and well argued.
The critical contribution I see of this work lies in connecting individual and systemic biases. This connection is absent in much scholarly research and popular discourse about social justice and bias (including some of my own work).
Professor Dasgupta has tackled this essential topic that is the unlock many of us are seeking when it comes to issues of diversity, inclusion, belonging, and justice. Her work is both groundbreaking and right on time.
The critical contribution I see of this work lies in connecting individual and systemic biases. This connection is absent in much scholarly research and popular discourse about social justice and bias (including some of my own work).
Professor Dasgupta has tackled this essential topic that is the unlock many of us are seeking when it comes to issues of diversity, inclusion, belonging, and justice. Her work is both groundbreaking and right on time.
February 5, 2025
In Change the Wallpaper, Dr. Dasgupta fuses individuals’ real-life stories and experiences and social science research, particularly of the psychology discipline, to illustrate how we can fight against systemic inequalities. Her writing synthesizes these stories and research in a way that is accessible to all, regardless of educational background, which is something that I admire and appreciate. This book is for anyone who wants to explore their own role in fighting for equality for folks of all socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds, as well as folks of all gender and sexual orientation identities, and much more. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book; you won’t want to put it down! Happy reading!
January 17, 2025
Change the Wallpaper is a very powerful and insightful book. It guided me to really think about the world around me. I loved how Professor Dasgupta included true stories in her book and explained what kinds of changes would be needed for equality to truly occur. It's like a cycle: if people are able to spot the problems and are encouraged to act together, we will have the chance to break the structural barriers. Even though it may take some time, collective action can lead to positive social change!
January 9, 2025
This book is amazing. If you've ever wondered why Equity, Diversity and Inclusion programs are often ineffective, take a look at this approach to how individuals can make a difference in structural inequality. Dasgupta synthesizes the social science research that offers insight with the stories that make us care. It's brilliant, innovative, and very readable.
March 2, 2025
“Change the Wallpaper” is an easy-to-read and well researched book on overcoming bias. Nilanjana Dasgupta offers the reader an opportunity for self-reflection, personal learning, and a path forward to overcome personal and societal prejudices. The book is filled with relatable stories backed up by published studies. Multiple passages caused me to pause to think on my own experiences and preconceptions. It’s a catalyst to sparking important conversations within families and among friends and neighbors.
January 20, 2025
Reading "Change the Wallpaper" not only helped me understand how differently the same situation can present itself to different people based on their environment, but also helped me to better understand my own experiences. This book empowers you to pay attention to the world around you in a different way and encourages you to make inclusivity a priority. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews