The Discovery of Belonging in an Age of Isolation Kim Samuel in conversation with Father Erik Varden

In this video Kim Samuel, author of ‘On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation’ discusses the crucial role of community in the journey of finding belonging and understanding of the self with +Father Erik Varden, Bishop of Trondheim. 

The event took place at the Sheldonian Theatre on Sunday 5th March 2023. 

Kim Samuel is a Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative, University of Oxford and a Visiting Research Fellow at Green Templeton College. An activist and educator, she is also the Founder and Chief Belonging Officer of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness; the Fulbright Canada ambassador for diversity and social connectedness; and author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation. 

On Belonging explores belonging across four core dimensions: in our relationships with other people, in our rootedness in nature, in our ability to influence political and economic decision-making, and in our finding of meaning and purpose in our lives. Throughout the book, Samuel looks closely at humanity’s search for deeper connection and the longing to belong. 

Erik Varden, Bishop of Trondheim, is a Trappist monk, born in Norway in 1974. In 2002, after ten years at the University of Cambridge, he joined Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Charnwood Forest. Varden explores the great questions of humanity such as isolation and the need for community for the understanding of the Word of God and the self, in a world facing moral and cultural crisis. Author of several publications, Varden is the creator and author of the Coram Fratribus a website where he shares writings to promote dialogue, and reflect in community on the Word of God.