The development sector proclaims that it values dignity. Yet it often breaks this promise, with people leaving encounters with charities feeling bruised and unseen. In this seminar, Tom Wein examines dignity as a core value around the world, drawing on his in-progress research for the future book Lives of Dignity.
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In this seminar, Tom Wein explores how dignity serves as both a universal human value and a practical principle for improving development outcomes. The presentation begins with compelling evidence that dignity matters deeply to people worldwide – from America to Bangladesh.
Drawing on research from across Africa and beyond, Tom examines the concrete consequences when dignity is respected or violated. The evidence shows that dignity-centered approaches lead to better health outcomes, increased program participation, and stronger social cohesion. Conversely, dignity violations harm physical and psychological wellbeing, reduce service uptake, and contribute to social fractures.
The seminar unpacks different cultural and philosophical conceptions of dignity, from Western philosophical traditions to African concepts like Ubuntu. Tom proposes that dignity can be understood through multiple lenses – as an inherent spark of personhood, as social status achieved through merit, as embodied experience, or as realized through relationships with others and the world.
The presentation will outline the argument and proposed case studies from organizations working in Kenya, Uganda, Senegal and beyond for the in-progress book ‘Lives of Dignity’, reflecting on whether and how development practitioners can translate dignity from abstract concept to concrete practice for diagnosing dignity violations and building organizational cultures that genuinely respect the people they aim to serve.
Speaker
Tom Wein, IDinsight Dignity Initiative. Tom has 15 years of experience leading research in the Global South. Prior to joining IDinsight, he founded The Dignity Project, a campaign for more respectful international development.
Chair
Marina Apgar, IDS Research Fellow, Centre for Development Impact, Institute of Development Studies.
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