ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the legacies of dehumanization, focusing on the multidimensional harms they continue to inflict upon individuals, communities, and societies today. By distinguishing between historical dehumanization, its persistent legacies, and present-day harmful impact, the chapter seeks to illuminate how transgenerational transmitted and cultural traumas, structural inequalities, and systemic discrimination persist as a result of mass atrocities such as slavery, Indigenous genocide, and colonialism. Using contemporary racism as a case study, the analysis reveals how these legacies manifest in interconnected ways, affecting social, economic, psychological, and political dimensions of life. The chapter ultimately highlights the importance of understanding dehumanization not just as a historical phenomenon but as an ongoing process and practice that shapes contemporary realities. It invites reflection on the ethical and structural transformation needed to address these harms and calls for politics of dignity and collective action for healing, justice, and well-being.
