Resisting Barriers to Belonging: Conceptual Critique and Critical Applications

Sense of belonging is essential for healthy development, but barriers to belonging among marginalized groups and contexts remain elusive. The authors advocate for the inclusion and preservation of culture, identity, and voice and reframe belonging as a fundamental human right.

Format: Hardback
Length: 290 pages
Publication date: 18 October 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

Decades of theory, research, and practice have highlighted the significance of a sense of belonging (in its various forms) as a vital component of healthy development across psychological, social, cultural, and academic domains. The human need for belonging, its inherent nature, has been extensively established across diverse contexts. Despite advancements in this field, solutions to barriers to belonging among marginalized groups and contexts remain elusive. This work has predominantly been framed through dominant, whiteestream lenses and contexts. Consequently, the authors aim to emphasize the responsibilities of systems and individual actors to create meaningful adaptations and intentionally foster spaces for belonging for all. Within this framework, we advocate for the inclusion and preservation of culture, identity, and voice, and redefine belonging as a fundamental human right. Furthermore, the authors draw insights from various fields, including education, psychology, sociology, counseling, cultural foundations, and community work, to generate implications for promoting positive human development. Embracing a critical, equitable, culturally-sustaining perspective on belonging while identifying areas where greater attention to barriers is necessary is an essential prerequisite for advancing the work of positive human development.

Weight: 717g
Dimension: 228 x 161 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793632135