This volume presents the latest thinking and research about what it means to be human and why people dehumanize others (and sometimes themselves). Contributions provide new insights into the history of dehumanization, its different types, and new theories are proposed for when and why dehumanization occurs. The volume shows how this is important in understanding issues as diverse as ethnic conflict, medical practice, policing, gender relations, and our relationship with the natural environment. Cultural differences and similarities in beliefs about humanness are explored, along with strategies to overcome dehumanization. The volume will inform future research on the topic for years to come.

Paul G. Bain is Research Fellow in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Queensland, Australia. His research focuses on conceptions and attributions of humanness (including dehumanization) and folk beliefs about the future of society. His research has been published in the top social psychology journals including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, as well as top specialist journals such as Nature Climate Change.

Jeroen Vaes is Assistant Professor at the University of Padova, Italy. His research focuses on humanness as a dimension of social judgment in intergroup relations, and in the realm of sexual and medical objectification. He has published research articles and chapters in the most important international outlets of social psychology. Currently, he is an associate editor of the British Journal of Social Psychology and has received the Jos Jaspars award from the European Association of Social Psychology for early career scientific achievements.

Jacques-Philippe Leyens is Professor Emeritus at the Catholic University of Louvain at Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. He has initiated several lines of research in social perception, intergroup relations, and racism. Chief editor of the European Journal of Social Psychology, he has been president of the European Association of Social Psychology and received the Tajfel award for his work and contribution to the development of social psychology in Europe. He was also associate editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology-Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes.

Advances in Understanding Humanness and Dehumanization, P.G. Bain, J. Vaes, J.-P. Leyens. Part 1: Historical and Theoretical Insights into Dehumanization. An Anthropological History of Dehumanization from Late 18th to Mid-20th Centuries, G. Jahoda. What Is Dehumanization?, N. Haslam. The Lesser Minds Problem, A. Waytz, J. Schroeder, N. Epley. Dehumanized Perception: Psychological and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Everyday Dehumanization, V. Lee, L. Harris. (Over)Valuing "Humanness" as an Aggravator of Intergroup Prejudices and Discrimination, G. Hodson, C.C. Macinnis, K. Costello. Dehumanization: A Threat and Solution to Terror Management, N. Heflick, J. Goldenberg. Part 2: Dehumanization - Specific Targets and Fields of Occurrence. Dehumanization, Moral Disengagement and Public Attitudes to Crime and Punishment, M. Vasiljevic, G.T. Viki. Cops and Criminals: The Interplay of Mechanistic and Animalistic Dehumanization in the Criminal Justice System, R. Hetey, J. Eberhardt. Humanity Forever in Medical Dehumanization, J.-P. Leyens. The Inhuman Body: When Sexual Objectification Becomes Dehumanizing, J. Vaes, S. Loughnan, E. Puvia. An Interpersonal Perspective on Dehumanization, B. Bastian, J. Jetten, N. Haslam. Part 3: Exploring and Extending Ideas About Humanity. The Human Category: Its Structure, Its Content, and Its Implications, P.G. Bain. Dehumanization as a Denial of Human Potentials: The Naïve Theory of Humanity Perspective, M. Kofta, T. Baran, M. Tarnowska. More Human: Individuation in the 21st Century, J. Swencionis, S. Fiske. On Human-Nature Relationships, Y. Kashima, E. Margetts. Conclusion. Understanding Humanness and Dehumanization: Emerging Themes and Directions, J. Vaes, P.G. Bain, J.-P. Leyens.