Distrust is in the air—of politicians, corporations, and the institutions that claim to protect us. Trust is often seen as the foundation of a better society—but better for whom? While some forms of radical trust can foster survival, resistance, and movement-building, others entrench inequality and uphold the domination of elite groups.

Who Do We Trust? shatters conventional wisdom, revealing how trust in hierarchical institutions perpetuates inequality and consolidates power among the elite. Drawing on examples from the war on Gaza, the rise of the MAGA movement, police violence, and the global response to refugees, Dana Williams challenges us to question who truly deserves our trust and who doesn't.

This bold, timely exploration unearths social relationships, cultures of resistance, and the urgent fight to reclaim trust from those who exploit it. 

'Inspirational, nuanced and wise - Dana Williams' engaging sociology of trust is a rich and timely wake up call to re-imagine social structures through cooperative action and mutual aid, beyond the multiplicity of forces that seek to divide us'

'Through trust, Williams offers a compelling framework with which to analyze the possibilities and obstacles for transforming our lives for the better. After digging deep into the sociopolitical definitions and theories of trust, Williams thoroughly examines all the permutations of trust and distrust in the organization of state, capital, and society. In the end, he offers inspiration for practical ways to build the needed trust to overcome those obstacles we are accustomed to and seize the possibilities that we are trained to think are utopian'

'In this timely examination of trust, mistrust, and distrust, Williams offers a critical analysis of the forms of trust practiced by groups across the political spectrum, along with a radical exposition on how we might become individually and collectively more discerning. A powerful engagement with a core building block of any healthy society: the thoughtful practice of trust'

Dana M. Williams is Professor of Sociology at California State University, Chico, and the author of Black Flags and Social Movements and co-author of Anarchy and Society. A political sociologist, Williams focuses on social movements, inequalities, and trust.