Moving on to Create Dignified Humanization: Countering Populism

This chapter aims to encourage action for dignified humanization to counter the pervading dehumanization inflicted, among others, by populism, making real the quest to (re)establish human values and dignity, encouraging respect for differences and inclusion in the communities. It addresses NGO workers, social activists, teachers, professionals, and students to think, question, and find strategies to implement, with the communities, spaces where people are respected in their human rights and values. The roots of these problems may be in power and oppression mechanisms influencing life-views and attitudes in organizations, families, and individuals reifying them. The chapter context is both the Global South and the Global North referring to divisions of the world nations understood as neither spatial nor geographical, but as hierarchical relations of power between North and South, rather than the contested concepts ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries. We include views of philosopher Rosa from Germany, historian Mbembe from South Africa, and education philosopher Freire from Brazil. Furthermore, we illustrate how to counter populism within academia, through a specific case from the psychology discipline taught at a Global South university. Thus, we have addressed the quest: How can all people’s life quality and well-being be improved, especially for those historically dehumanized?