This week, René Carayol speaks with Farhan Samanani, who is an anthropologist, author, and lecturer at Kings College in London. Drawing from his family history and personal experiences of moving to the UK from Canada, Farhan explains how an anthropologist lens to collective action can help explain different shapes of inclusion. From being an outsider to entering ‘the room of power holders’ Farhan looks at how one gains the confidence to belong in an exclusive world.
René and Farhan also discuss his new book: How To Live With Each Other: An Anthropologist’s Notes on Sharing a Divided World. The book is a culmination of Farhan’s research and community-building experiences in Kilburn, London. It draws on several theories such as Othering and Democratic institutional theory, as well as a well-researched history of humankind, conflict, and ethnic diversity. Farhan attempts to explain a million-dollar question: How do communities cultivate common ground amid the tensions of difference?
