"Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves & the World" - Book Talk w/ OBI Profs.

"Belonging Without Othering": A book talk with Othering and Belonging Institute professors:

john a. powell, Director, OBI, UC Berkeley

Stephen Menendian, Director, OBI Research, UC Berkeley

Date & time: October 28, 2024 at 5 PM

Location: Toll Room at the Alumni House, UC Berkeley campus

Register & info: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/belonging-without-othering-october28

Host: Othering & Belonging Institute of UC Berkeley


We all yearn for connection and community, but we live in a time when calls for division and hierarchy along the lines of religion, race, ethnicity, sexuality and more are growing.

"Belonging without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World" gives fresh new language to this universal problem of othering, and offers a groundbreaking framework for its antidote—belonging.

What kind of world do we envision for our future?

Can we build belonging without creating an “other”?

What will be required of each of us?

Join us at UC Berkeley for a panel discussing these questions and more with Othering and Belonging Institute (OBI) Director john a. powell and OBI Research Director Stephen Menendian who will talk about their book, "Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World" — a groundbreaking text that explores “Othering,” the problem of our times, and “Belonging,” the solution.

We will open with a panel discussion followed by an open Q&A session with the authors.

This event will take place on Monday, October 28 at 5 p.m. in the Toll Room at the Alumni House. It is free and open to the public. Food will be served and the book will be available for purchase. Also join us for a cocktail hour on the Alumni House patio following the discussion!

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About the book: "Belonging without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World"

The root of all inequality is the process of othering – and its solution is the practice of belonging

We all yearn for connection and community, but we live in a time when calls for further division along the well-wrought lines of religion, race, ethnicity, caste, and sexuality are pervasive. This ubiquitous yet elusive problem feeds on fears – created, inherited – of the "other." While the much-touted diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are undeniably failing, and activists narrowly focus on specific and sometimes conflicting communities, Belonging without Othering prescribes a new approach that encourages us to turn toward one another in unprecedented and radical ways.

The pressures that separate us have a common root: our tendency to cast people and groups in irreconcilable terms – or the process of "othering." This book gives vital language to this universal problem, unveiling its machinery at work across time and around the world. To subvert it, john a. powell and Stephen Menendian make a powerful and sweeping case for adopting a paradigm of belonging that does not require the creation of an "other." This new paradigm hinges on transitioning from narrow to expansive identities – even if that means challenging seemingly benevolent forms of community-building based on othering.

As the threat of authoritarianism grows across the globe, this book makes the case that belonging without othering is the necessary, but not the inevitable, next step in our long journey toward creating truly equitable and thriving societies. The authors argue that we must build institutions, cultivate practices, and orient ourselves toward a shared future, not only to heal ourselves, but perhaps to save our planet as well. Brimming with clear guidance, sparkling insights, and specific examples and practices, Belonging without Othering is a future-oriented exploration that ushers us in a more hopeful direction.