A cutout of john powell speaking at an event, his arms are raised and forward in a slight gesture. Behind him is a circle made of OBI's colors.
WE ALL BELONG IN THE CIRCLE OF HUMAN CONCERN

Othering is the problem of our time. Belonging is the solution.

The Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley advances groundbreaking approaches to transforming structural marginalization and inequality. We are scholars, organizers, communicators, researchers, artists, and policymakers committed to building a world where all people belong.

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Featured Content

Launching the transatlantic Democracy & Belonging Forum

June 15, 2022: Today, OBI is thrilled to launch its first global initiative, the Democracy and Belonging Forum, a new network for civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to countering pernicious polarization and democratic degradation by...

Featured Work

Protesters demanding abortion rights in this historical black and white photo
  • Press Release
  • June 28, 2022
Reproductive rights crucial for belonging
The Othering & Belonging Institute is deeply disappointed in last week's Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which we view as a step backwards not just in the fight for women's rights, but for all groups vying for equality.
Mitch McConnel, Brett Kavanaugh,Mike Pence, and another guy standing for a photo
  • Blog
  • June 27, 2022
Rightwing power grab renders Supreme Court illegitimate
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization an illegitimate, radical, rightwing court overturned half a century of settled law established by Roe v. Wade to advance a political agenda. But why do I refer to the current US Supreme Court as...
A guy holding a sign that reads "Go Fund Me is not a Healthcare Plan"
  • Blog
  • June 1, 2022
All Policy is Health Policy
Where we live shouldn’t determine the length or the quality of our lives. We all belong in communities whose conditions allow us to live the healthiest lives possible. These conditions include stable housing, access to quality healthcare, jobs with...

Areas of Work

The faculty, staff, researchers, and affiliates of the Othering & Belonging Institute work together with multidisciplinary approaches to learn, research, and construct solutions for society's most pressing issues. Our programs and initiatives are all designed to effect transformative change.

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Areas of Work

The faculty, staff, researchers, and affiliates of the Othering & Belonging Institute work together with multidisciplinary approaches to learn, research, and construct solutions for society's most pressing issues. Our programs and initiatives are all designed to effect transformative change.

SEE ALL AREAS
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Arts and Cultural Strategy
People targeted by facial recognition software
Technology & Belonging
Illustration of two hillsides — one tinted blue, one green — descend on a waterway from opposite sides. The hillsides are close but do not touch; instead, they are connected by a small bridge.
Bridging & Belonging
Painting of indigenous people belonging to the Lummi Nation looking to the horizon. The figures at the foreground face away from the viewer, and we see colorful traditional garb. In the background is a dim, blue-grey body of water and a thin line of mountains far beyond.
Climate Justice
Flattened stylized illustration of three people — one woman with black hair, another woman with a white hat and brown hair, and a Black man with cropped black hair — all wearing masks with smiles printed on them.
Health
Watercolor illustration with the earth at the center with various foods — chicken, corn, peppers, mangoes, and so on — revolving around it. We see mostly South America, Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean as well as partial views of Europe and North America.
Food Systems
The San Francisco Bay is reimagined in a temporally collapsed manner; in the foreground, indigenous Ohlone people gather on marshland and in boats, smoke from fires rising above their village. In the background, we see the present-day skyline of San Francisco filled with skyscrapers and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Housing
microsite banner islamophobia
Islamophobia
Close-up illustration of a large hand writes with a pencil; four small figures including one person in a wheelchair hold the hand up
Narrative Power
An illustration featuring tens of people ascending an escalator at four different levels. The escalator zig-zags left and right, alternating at each level. The illustration is on a bright yellow background and blue foreground.
Targeted Universalism
Featured Content

Bridging to Belonging Case Series

This case series captures real-world examples of bridging to belonging through written cases and podcast interviews. In this series, we analyze a range of breaking moments and bridging opportunities across different scales and contexts, such as schools, movements, governments and communities. They “show and hear” how these concepts play out on the ground. We hear from leaders implementing the work, and individuals who have experienced the transformation of bridging to create belonging.

Featured Publications

inclusiveness index map of the world

Study: Hawaii most inclusive state for 4th straight year; Sweden tops global rankings

BERKELEY: Hawaii is the most inclusive state in the country, a new study from UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute finds, followed by Nevada and Rhode Island. The rankings for 2021, released Tuesday, gave Hawaii the top spot for the fourth...
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The Structural Racism Remedies Repository

This a repository of policy-based recommendations for addressing structural and systemic racism or advancing racial equity drawn from a vast array of published material.
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A residential Oakland skyline with a HOLC redlining map in the background

What the 2020 Census reveals about segregation

As part of our ongoing research into racial residential segregation, we offer two new reports based on the latest demographic data of the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally using the recently-released 2020 Census. We've also significantly revamped our interactive web tool.
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Explore Othering and Belonging

An illustrated laptop depicts floating shapes and images
  • Video
  • August 12, 2021
Animated Explainer Video Series
Our animated explainer videos break down some of the key principles that guide our work at the Othering & Belonging Institute. Follow the links below to view the videos, to read transcripts of the audio, and to learn more about each concept.
Radical Belonging and Bridging: A Path Forward for Societies in Crisis? john a. powell, Rocío Martínez-Sampere, Stephen Hawkins, and Nani Jansen Reventlow
Jun
28
  • June 28, 2022, 8am - 9:15am PT
Radical Belonging and Bridging: A Path Forward for Societies in Crisis?

Today, we are facing a 'superstorm' of challenges, including polarization, rising authoritarianism, the global climate crisis, inequality, structural racism, and group-based hate, among others.

Illustration of a flower holding up and presenting a human to another flower.
  • Newsletters
E-Newsletter Archive
An Archive of past issues of our bi-weekly newsletter.