Pragya Agarwal’s book, Sway: Unravelling unconscious bias, is three things: an interesting and lively scholarly account of different types of human biases, including their sources, modes of operation, and consequences; a personal, but also intensely involving read of how biases shape people’s everyday life, from thinking and feeling to behavior; and a worthwhile overview of where to go from here. At a time of turmoil in a world reeling from the impact of a deadly virus, this book offers a framework for understanding past and current civil unrest by first recognizing that biases perpetuate the deadly sin of injustice. The author’s key message is that scientific endeavors have identified the main culprit. It is the makeup of the human mind faced by centuries of fertile experiences which have made biases and the sins they have engendered persevere unabated across the ages, while the “better angels” inside ourselves have worked, mostly unsuccessfully, for change. 

In the twenty-first century, while a deadly virus spreads across the globe, more scenes of injustice and public discussions of systemic inequalities are profusely displayed on TV, YouTube, and other media. Such images have coalesced into mass protests in the USA and other parts of the world, adding louder voices to people’s persistent demands for change. Professional commentators often share their surprise that protests and discussions are continuing unabated in the USA, often labeled a “model of democracy”, as if “we the people” have never asked before for justice in the name of the commonweal. 

In this world in turmoil, can Sway: Unravelling unconscious bias add anything to the experiences we are gathering as spectators and/or actors in a play named “fairness of opportunities for all” that has been advertised many times but has never been fully broadcast? My modest answer is a resounding “yes”. Agarwal’s book does not add new information to the current scholarly literature on the nature and impact of biases, but it makes their existence real, transforming an academic account into a relatable and personal mixture of human stories as well as theories that attempt to explain them. 

One wishes the book had been written today. It would have been enriched by the many earthshaking events that make some of its stories timid in comparison. Yet, its insightful messages and explanatory power apply to today’s events as much as to the past. For instance, consider the many statues glorifying historical figures whose deeds involve colonialism, as well as the slave trade, that are currently being removed by “we the people” because they prime injustice. At the very least, they treat justice as if it were a dish to which only a minority is entitled. Demands for the renaming of streets and buildings that remind “we the people” of a past of unrelenting oppression perpetrated by a white minority are not merely louder and more persistent. They are accompanied by demands to rename spaces after those who have died in the hands of brutal forces or after an entire movement, such as Black Lives Matter. The author reminds the reader that offering sensible alternatives makes demands much harder to silence. In fact, the removal of primes of oppression is not sufficient to lead the way to the promised land of fairness for all. Agarwal notes that effectively reducing the systemic unfairness in the world around us requires, among other things, that the images that prime unfairness in everyday life, giving it a patina of “normality”, be exchanged with images that prime a just society and its ensuing deeds. Primes that remind people of deeds that enhance the common good can serve as enduring reminders that apathy is not the answer to a world for which a decent life has become achievable mostly by those who have been born into it.

Yet, before “the tragedy of the commons” (Hardin, 1968) and systemic inequalities are reduced, and the realm of symbols and images of oppression are removed from daily life, the author reminds us that prejudice (i.e., the attitude of pre-judging an individual based on the properties/features of a group to which the person allegedly belongs), and discrimination (i.e., the underlying behavior) are often implicit. As a defense against implicit biases and their underlying discriminatory behaviors, she encourages the reader to de-automatize the quotidian by taking time to analyze one’s actions, thoughts, and decisions. Awareness of one’s cognitive distortions may be a starting point for limiting what the author calls the “transmission of bias” along with the creation of “safe spaces” where discussion can take place without triggering defensive postures by those in a privileged position. Agarwal also recognizes the importance of language in conveying a sense of respect and empathy towards others in social interactions.

Sway: Unravelling unconscious bias can be an engaging read for all who are interested in attaining a deeper understanding of biases. It can also be a useful companion to college-level textbooks in the social and behavioral sciences, thereby allowing students to appreciate the usefulness in the real world of concepts and methodologies created by academics. The march towards the elimination, or at least substantial reduction, of systemic injustice, is far from comfortable or easy. But for now, the road to justice is full of people from different walks of life resolutely marching on it.

People are marching along the trail of tears not only for their own causes but also in solidarity with the oppressed beyond their borders. Walking is only one form of the march towards the eradication of injustice, as demonstrated by the Palestinian artist who drew the face of George Floyd on the Separation Wall in Palestine. Obviously, systemic injustice is not limited to the USA, even though much of the unrest in this country is likely to be captured more intensely on media and be broadcast worldwide. For instance, consider Egypt. The Middle East Monitor of April 6, 2020, reports that people watched their healthcare minister donate medical aid to Italy while facing a shortage of supplies against the disease at home. People also watched the mainstream media blaming them for the persistent massive spread of the virus through their failure to implement strict social distancing measures. What the media chose to ignore is that social distancing and staying at home are luxuries the majority of Egyptians cannot afford. The Middle East Eye of April 16, 2020, quotes a street vendor, Samira Outt, who said “If I catch the virus, I will die. And if I don’t work, me and my children will die also, but out of hunger. So it is the same.” Her heartbreaking statement reminds us that there may be a much larger segment of humanity who has joined the march for the eradication of systemic injustice. One’s physical absence from the march may not be for apathy or disinterest, but merely a byproduct of the tragedy of the commons. 

Maura Pilotti, Ph.D.

Categories: Psychology

Keywords: psychology, unconscious bias