Who Matters: How to Redefine Worth in our Divided Societies

This was a hybrid event.

Who matters in society? Why are some people viewed as more legitimate or given greater status than others? How can we broaden the circle of who is considered worthy of recognition?  On October 27, 2022, Harvard University sociologist Michèle Lamont delivered the Munk School's Cadario Visiting Lecture in Public Policy.

Her talk, "Who matters? How to redefine worth in our divided societies?" explored how new cultural narratives are shifting the boundaries of who is considered worthy of inclusion and belonging.   

About the Event:

Growing inequality and the decline of the American dream have coincided with a mental health crisis across all social classes in the United States. In this context it is imperative to consider alternative sources of hope. Broadening recognition is gaining in appeal for significant segments of the population. To understand this phenomenon, Professor Lamont drew on her interviews with Gen Zs and change agents who are producing new narratives in entertainment, comedy, advocacy, art, impact investing, and other fields of activity. They are offering alternatives to neoliberal scripts of self. They feed recognition chains in response to political polarization and backlashes. These transformations point to a broadening of cultural citizenship, not only in the United States but also globally.