Chasing We-ness

Cultivating Empathy and Leadership in a Polarized World

by William Marsiglio

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Pub Date Mar 07 2023 | Archive Date May 09 2023

University of Toronto Press | Aevo UTP

Politics | Self-Help

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Description

“At a time of increasing polarization, violence, and threats to our democracy from within, William Marsiglio provides a roadmap to a better future in this timely book. Read it, absorb its lessons, and find a way to foster a greater sense of ‘we’ in your own neighborhoods and communities.”
John M. Bridgeland, CEO, Civic, former Director, White House Domestic Policy

As humans, we embrace our individuality, yet we chase the comfort and sense of purpose that comes from being part of a group. Especially timely given our polarized world, Chasing We-ness examines how social media, AI, new leadership styles, and other modern developments affect our state of we-ness. It illuminates how our contemporary identities find expression in both progressive and conservative social movements that foster a sense of we-ness. Embracing the reality that “we’re all in this together,” the book interrogates our efforts to achieve a state of we-ness that rejects hate, social injustice, and autocratic agendas in the twenty-first century.

This book explores why, how, and with what effect we build we-ness into our lives in both healthy and destructive ways. William Marsiglio draws on his expertise as a leading sociologist to explore the motivational forces that inspire a sense of group belonging in intimate groups, civic organizations, thought communities, sports and leisure activities, and work. Promoting initiatives that cultivate mindfulness, empathy, altruism, and leadership, Chasing We-ness proposes essential life skills to empower us, reduce social divisions, strengthen the social fabric, and uplift our spirits as global citizens.

William Marsiglio is a professor of sociology at the University of Florida. He is a leading scholar in the fields of family and fatherhood and a fellow at the National Council on Family Relations. Much of his qualitative research and writing explores how men, as fathers and youth workers, relate to children and promote health and fitness. He is the author or co-author of 12 books including Dads, Kids & Fitness: A Father’s Guide to Family Health, Nurturing Dads: Social Initiatives for Contemporary Fatherhood, and Men on a Mission: Valuing Youth Work in Our Communities.

Advance Praise

“We have both too much we-ness and not enough. Chasing We-ness offers a brilliant diagnosis of today’s polarizations. But even more importantly, it suggests productive ways forward. The strategies offered hint at ways to afford we-ness that embrace difference rather than reject it. These are precisely the interventions needed as we experiment with ways to keep our social networks, and social and civic institutions, from spinning further apart.”
Michael S. Carolan, Professor of Sociology, Colorado State University and author of A Decent Meal: Building Empathy in a Divided America

"Chasing We-Ness is a comprehensive survey of togetherness: where it comes from, when it goes wrong, and how people cultivate it. William Marsiglio provides an essential guide for anyone who is frustrated by ever lonelier, more individualistic societies and is interested in building stronger, more satisfying communities."
Taylor C. Dotson, Associate Professor of Social Science, New Mexico Tech and author of The Divide: How Fanatical Certitude is Destroying Democracy

“In this timely book, Chasing We-ness, William Marsiglio reminds us of the vital importance of belonging to a community and of the centrality of empathy that results. Whatever one’s politics or persuasion, finding a tiny public that satisfies fundamental human needs of togetherness is crucial. Drawing on an impressively wide-range of interdisciplinary sources, Marsiglio recognizes that society depends upon our commitments. Readers will learn much from his rich insights.”
Gary Alan Fine, James E. Johnson Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University and author of The Hinge: Civil Society, Group Cultures, and the Power of Local Commitments

"In Chasing We-ness, William Marsiglio presents a fascinating and hopeful study of how being able to listen compassionately and empathize effectively is at the heart of healthy and radical transformation."
Christian Picciolini, author of Breaking Hate and White American Youth

“In Chasing We-ness, William Marsiglio deftly explains that in our pursuit of purpose and meaning in business and life, individuals must be increasingly empathetic, mindful, interconnected, and inclusive in the ways we think, learn, lead, and live if we are to find significance in a world of difference.”
Glenn Llopis, CEO of GLLG and author of Unleashing Individuality: The Leadership Skill That Unlocks All Others.

“Chasing We-ness is a new book by William Marsiglio that takes on an impossible task: to lay out a plan for unifying an America that has fragmented in a dramatic way since 2016. He comprehensively reminds us of the features that create a sense of caring community with detailed examples that make his points brilliantly clear! I know of no one who has brought all this data together with a blueprint for change so well!”
Jacqueline Olds, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

“William Marsiglio thinks big in Chasing We-ness, an elegant and passionately written book that asks what you and I can do to reduce the surging social turmoil of the modern world.”
Mark W. Moffett, author of The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall

"Our sociopolitical leaders can afford to dismiss empathy only at their own peril. In Chasing We-ness, William Marsiglio brilliantly makes the case for combating racism, sexism, and xenophobia by exhorting all to celebrate what unites rather than divides us.”
Helen Riess, MD, Harvard Psychiatrist, Author, The Empathy Effect, Founder and CEO, Empathetics, Inc.

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