Seeing Others: How Recognition Works—and How it Can Heal a Divided World

During the 2023-2024 session of the Massachusetts state legislature, “An Act Relative to Celebrating and Teaching Native American Culture and History” was introduced to address “the lack of Indigenous curriculum in Massachusetts public schools” and “ensure that all children in the schools attain cultural competency in understanding Native history, cultures, and current issues” (MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda, n.d.). Proponents of the bill sought to promote greater respect for and understanding of Indigenous peoples within the state, a phenomenon that sociologist Michèle Lamont terms “recognition.”

In her new book, Seeing Other: How Recognition Works—And How It Can Heal a Divided World, Lamont defines recognition as “'seeing others’ and acknowledging people's existence and positive worth, actively making them visible and valued, reducing their marginalization, and openly integrating them into a group” (6). Concerned with deepening social and political divisions and driven by a desire “to broaden the circle of people who matter” (4), Lamont uses Seeing Others to better understand the ways people seek recognition for themselves and others within contemporary American society. Through more than 180 interviews with artists, activists, entertainers, entrepreneurs, college students, and a variety of other “change agents,” Lamont finds that “various strategies for extending dignity and recognition to all groups, broadening our definitions of worth, celebrating our common humanity, and reducing stigma” are not only possible but critical to imagining a more just and equitable future (165).

Seeing Others is deeply rooted in sociological theories of culture and philosophical conceptions of recognition, which Lamont writes about in an accessible and engaging manner for a broad popular audience. Education researchers, policy makers, and practitioners will likely find an immediate connection with the opening chapter of the book, which explores the well-known and controversial 1619 Project through an interview with its creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones. From there, Lamont goes on to review literature and survey data, arguing that current metrics of worth in American society (e.g., the American Dream) are declining in relevance and popularity (chapter 1) and contributing to hardening social and political boundaries between groups (chapter 2). She proposes recognition—particularly its capacity to challenge and change narratives about marginalized groups—as an antidote to these ills of neoliberalism (chapter 3). She then elaborates on the concept of recognition, providing numerous examples from both her own research and popular culture to illustrate how individuals (chapter 4) and networks (chapter 5) can leverage an array of strategies (chapter 6) to expand recognition to more groups within American society. The final chapters of the book turn toward the future as Lamont explores how eighty college students see and value others (chapter 7) and considers how recognition could be leveraged to build the kind of future these young people envision (chapter 8). The book is a hopeful and forward-thinking project that seeks to distill lessons from Lamont's career-long research agenda on culture and inequality into “meaningful paths forward” (167).

While education is not central the focus of Seeing Others, the book surfaces several ideas relevant to the field. For example, a key argument throughout the text is that culture matters. Lamont highlights the tendency among researchers and policy makers to focus on material concerns (e.g., distribution of resources) over cultural ones (e.g., recognition), observing:

Addressing the cultural dimensions of inequality, then, is just as important as addressing its material dimensions. In education, this means that cultural concerns—such as “the lack of Indigenous curriculum” cited by the MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda (n.d.)—are just as urgent for researchers and policy makers to address as more widely studied and legislated material concerns, such as school segregation and opportunity gaps.

A recognition chain is another important concept in Seeing Others that has direct relevance to the field of education. Lamont defines it as a “network of change agents and organizations that scales up and disseminates messages of recognition … [to] reverberate far beyond their own individual or institutional reach” (77). She explicitly underscores how institutions—including schools— serve as critical links in these recognition chains because they are important social locations where “our collective narratives take shape” (93). How might reframing educational spaces as links in a recognition chain shape future inquiry and action within the field of education? Leveraging the concept of recognition chains in education research, policy, and practice could lead to valuable insights and outcomes that contribute to a more just and equitable society.

Timely, compelling, and highly relevant to the field of education, Seeing Others is a sweeping project that privileges breadth over depth. At times, this emphasis on moving quickly through a wide range of examples creates missed opportunities, leaving important questions about recognition unanswered. For example, in chapter 3 Lamont provides Hamilton—the acclaimed Broadway musical written and performed by people of color—as an example of recognition. Specifically, she argues that the production successfully “challenged the idea of who built the country, who belongs in America, and who can be included in a national identity” (55), expanding recognition for immigrants and people of color in the United States. By limiting her discussion of Hamilton to a single paragraph, however, Lamont misses an important opportunity to engage with critiques of the production, which have argued that plugging Black and brown faces into untroubled national narratives reinforces rather than challenges systems of domination like racism (Reed, 2020) and settler colonialism (Dunbar-Ortiz, 2021). How might Lamont square these existing critiques of Hamilton with her theorization of recognition? If, as she argues, the power of recognition lies in its ability to challenge and change narratives, how do pop culture moments, like Hamilton, that leave key narratives untroubled advance that project? And more fundamentally, does recognition require critical engagement with systems of power and domination? A lengthier and more nuanced discussion of examples like Hamilton throughout the book would have shed light on Lamont's thinking around these important topics.

Even with these missed opportunities, however, Seeing Others is a compelling and worthwhile text that will appeal to those who share Lamont's goal of “healing a divided world.” Its hopeful and action-oriented tone invites everyone to consider their role in working toward a more just and equitable future. Because of its relevance to initiatives like the MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda, education scholars, policy makers, and practitioners are likely to find Lamont's concept of recognition particularly pertinent in the current moment. By taking up this concept where Lamont leaves off, education scholars have an exciting opportunity to add depth and nuance to our collective understanding of this important strategy for social change and how it might contribute to our shared future.