Seeing Others: How Recognition Works—and How It Can Heal A Divided World

  • Author: Michèle Lamont
  • Narrator: Jane Oppenheimer
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • Duration: 5:56:14
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Synopsis

Acclaimed Harvard sociologist makes the case for reexamining what we value to prioritize recognition—the quest for respect—in an age that has been defined by growing inequality and the obsolescence of the American dream.

In this capstone work, Michèle Lamont unpacks the power of recognition—rendering others as visible and valued—by drawing on nearly forty years of research and new interviews with young adults, and with cultural icons and change agents who intentionally practice recognition—from Nikole Hannah Jones and Cornel West to Michael Schur and Roxane Gay. She shows how new narratives are essential for everyone to feel respect and assert their dignity.

Decades of neoliberalism have negatively impacted our sense of self-worth, up and down the income ladder, just as the American dream has become out of reach for most people. By prioritizing material and professional success, we have judged ourselves and others in terms of self-reliance, competition, and diplomas. The foregrounding of these attributes of the upper-middle class in our values system feeds into the marginalization of workers, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and minority groups. The solution, Lamont argues, is to shift our focus towards what we have in common while actively working to recognize the diverse ways one can live a life. Building on Lamont’s lifetime of expertise and revelatory connections between broad-ranging issues, Seeing Others delivers realistic sources of hope: By reducing stigma, we put change within reach.

Just as Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone did for a previous generation, Seeing Others strikes at the heart of our modern struggles and illuminates an inclusive path forward with new ways for understanding our world.

Chapters

  • 001 SeeingOthers Open

    Duration: 22s
  • 002 SeeingOthers Introduction ThePowerOfRecognition

    Duration: 43min
  • 003 SeeingOthers Chapter1 TheViewFromAbove TheUppeMiddleClassAndTheFailuresOfTheAmericanDream

    Duration: 41min
  • 004 SeeingOthers Chapter2 TheViewFromBelow TheWorkingClassAndTheMarginalized

    Duration: 17min
  • 005 SeeingOthers Chapter3 MeetingTheMoment HowWeFightForAMoreInclusiveWorld

    Duration: 27min
  • 006 SeeingOthers Chapter4 BeingTheChangeWeWishToSee ChangeAgentsAndTheQuestForDignityAndRecognition

    Duration: 33min
  • 007 SeeingOthers Chapter5 ChangingHeartsAndMinds HowRecognitionChainsAmplifyTheCulturalAgenda

    Duration: 45min
  • 008 SeeingOthers Chapter6 StrategiesForTransformation TheWorkOfChangeAgentsInHollywoodAndBeyond

    Duration: 36min
  • 009 SeeingOthers Chapter7 TheNextGeneration HowGenZFightsForTheFuture

    Duration: 51min
  • 010 SeeingOthers Chapter8 DifferentYetTheSame SolutionsForBuildingAnInclusiveSociety

    Duration: 36min
  • 011 SeeingOthers Conclusion StrengtheningOurCapacityToLiveBetterTogether

    Duration: 23min
  • 012 SeeingOthers Close

    Duration: 28s