Full Description
Decades of theory, research, and practice have singled out sense of belonging (in its many derivative forms) as a pivotal component of healthy development: psychologically, socially, culturally, academically. The human need for belonging, and therefore its essential nature, have been well established across multiple arenas. Despite growth in this field, answers to the barriers to belonging among marginalized groups and contexts remain especially elusive. For decades, this work was anchored primarily in dominant, whitestream lenses and contexts. Therefore, the authors attempt here to highlight the responsibilities of systems and individual actors to meaningfully adapt and intentionally make space for belonging for all. Within that we advocate for the inclusion and preservation of culture, identity, and voice, and reframe belonging as a fundamental human right. Moreover, the authors draw on insights and generate implications across multiple fields (education, psychology, sociology, counseling, cultural foundations, and community work). Considering belonging through a critical, equitable, culturally-sustaining perspective, while simultaneously identifying settings where more attention to barriers to belonging is needed, is a non-negotiable element of moving the work of positive human development forward.
Contents
Introduction: Framing Sense of Belonging for Our Time
Beverly S. Faircloth, Laura M. Gonzalez, and Katherine Ramos
Chapter 1: The Right to Belong: A Critical Stance
Beverly S. Faircloth
Chapter 2: Centering Anti-Racism in Schools to Support Belonging for Black Students
Elan C. Hope, Chauncey D. Smith, Charity Brown Griffin, and Alexis S. Briggs
Chapter 3: Out and About: LGBTQ+ Students' Journey to Belong
Nicholas Antonicci, Louis Killion, and R. Bradley Johnson
Chapter 4: Legal Status and Belonging: A Critical Humanist Perspective
Laura M. Gonzalez
Chapter 5: Developing a Statewide Teacher Learning Community
Holt Wilson, Lauren Baucom, Emily Hare, Paul Wonsavage,Arren Duggan, Jared Webb, Allison McCulloch, Michelle Stephan, Katherine Mawhinney, and Catherine Schwartz
Chapter 6: Living as "In-Betweener" in Life and Work
Katherine Ramos
Chapter 7: Promoting a Sense of Belonging: Black Girls and College and Career Readiness
Pamela Harris, Kaitlyn Ingram, Marquita Hockaday, and Laura M. Go
