Seeing Others

For almost forty years, acclaimed Harvard sociologist Michèle Lamont has studied inequality and how a sense of belonging impacts everyone’s quality of life. On 21 November, Lamont joins us at De Sportschool in Rotterdam-Charlois on the occasion of her new book Seeing Others: How Recognition Works and How it Can Heal a Divided World. In this capstone work, Michèle Lamont makes the case for reexamining what we value—the quest for respect—in an age that has been defined by growing disparity and the obsolescence of the American dream.

Decades of neoliberalism have negatively impacted our sense of self-worth, up and down the income ladder. Increasingly, we have judged ourselves and others in terms of self-reliance, competition, accomplishments and diplomas, prioritizing material and professional success. But foregrounding these middle-class attributes feeds stigmatization of the working-class, the poor, people of colour, and the LGBTQIA+ community, leaving far too many on the outside. The solution, Lamont argues, is to promote new scripts of self that weaken group boundaries, reduce stigma, and push against racial and class segregation. We should shift our focus towards what we have in common while actively working to recognize the diverse ways one can live a life.

Just as Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone did for a previous generation, Lamont’s work strikes at the heart of our modern struggles and illuminates an inclusive path to take us well beyond tribalism and the false promise of individual grit.

“Equality is not only about income, wealth and the power to decide about your own life. It is also and mostly about recognition and dignity, mutual respect and empathy, deliberation and participation. In this powerful new book, Michèle Lamont illuminates how recognition must be part of the post-neoliberalism agenda. A must-read!” 
– Thomas Piketty

“It is difficult to imagine a more timely and original work of social analysis, or one more welcome in these troubled times”
– Henry Louis Gates Jr.

“Michèle Lamont is one of the most prominent analysts of culture and identity in the world today. In this new book she brings her expertise as scholar to a new role as public intellectual. She shows that asking how we see others and how they see themselves has important implications for inequality and for practical efforts to address that growing scourge of contemporary society”
– Robert D. Putnam

“Harvard sociologist Michèle Lamont has written a landmark book that unpacks how ‘recognition chains’ work in politics, culture, and in our day-to-day interactions with others. Seeing Others will change the way you see the world, and yourself.”
– Arlie Russell Hochschild