When the bestselling first edition of Becoming an Ally was published in 1994, the language of “ally” was new. Three decades later, it is everywhere — used, misused, embraced, rejected and interpreted in many different ways. This groundbreaking book has been used across the world by individuals and institutions to identify how privilege works and how to transform their roles in perpetuating inequality.

In this new edition, educator Anne Bishop has updated her accessible guide on what structural oppression is and how people can work together toward equity. Bishop explores oppression’s impact on individuals, organizations and cultures. Within that larger framework, she digs through decades of claims and conflicts to examine the crucial role of allies on the path toward justice.

This book is for social workers, teachers, medical professionals, policy makers and anyone who wants to understand the origins of oppressive societies in order to build more just alternatives.

Anne Bishop has been working toward social justice through adult education and community organizing for more than 50 years. Her activism aligned with making an income for three years as coordinator of development education for Canadian University Services Overseas and for a decade developing community leadership education through a university continuing education department. The rest of the time, she earned her living through freelance writing, editing, teaching, facilitation, research, union organizing, farm labour, restaurant hostessing, managing a used clothing store, supporting worker cooperatives, working on the line in a fishplant and an industrial sewing shop and, for twenty-five years, raising sheep, chickens, fruit, berries and veggies. She has a passion for spinning and knitting wool.

Anne has co-authored four books on popular education and one on the Canadian food system and is the author of two books about allies, Becoming an Ally: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression in People (1994, 2002, 2015) and Beyond Token Change: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression in Institutions (2005). In 2019, she published her first novel, Under the Bridge.