Reclaiming Humanity

Both theoretical and narrative, the book draws on the author’s long experience as a mediator and counselor to examine the ways in which members of society are dehumanized by institutional oppression and contribute to that system.

At the place where personal identity and institutional oppression meet there lie reasons beyond morality for all people, especially those with apparent privilege, to resist inequities based in race, gender, class or generation. Reclaiming Humanity explores the psychological and political ways modern individuals become dehumanized, even as we are recruited into systems that dehumanize others. Through stories of personal exploration and learning, the book delves into dynamics by which we consent to systems that deprive us of well-being. Reclaiming Humanity then moves beyond understanding how profoundly we’ve lost the art of community connection to open up creative visions of a truly humane social order. Through these narratives and explorations, the work discusses practical directions for mediators, activists, and other seekers after justice.