education

The construction of what’s normal and abnormal by the dominant group. In Chapter 3 we introduced the concept of social construction using the example of sex and gender. In the context of ability, there is a similar process of social construction. For example, while it is true that biological variance among humans exists, the meanings […]

The integration of dominant group norms into the structures of 125 society The construction of what’s normal and not-normal by the dominant group The invisibility of privilege for the dominant group The integration of group-based norms into the structures of society. As we explained in Chapter 5, oppression is a deeply embedded system that operates

External and Structural Dimensions of Privilege 124 Are you left-handed? If so, you may notice how left-handed people are marginalized by social norms: the desks in classrooms, the shape of scissors, the locations of buttons on carry-on handles, a camera’s shutter release button, and even the standard way one is taught to strum a guitar

What Is Privilege? The academic definition of privilege used in critical social justice may be different from how our readers know the word in everyday usage. Consider by way of analogy how most people use the word average to mean ordinary. In contrast, mathematicians would use the term average to specifically describe the mean, median,

Vocabulary to practice using: internalized dominance; internalized oppression A female prime minister was strategizing with her all-male cabinet about how to address a string of recent sexual assaults on women throughout the city. Someone suggested a 9:00 p.m. curfew, which the cabinet thought was a good idea. The prime minister also nodded her head in

Understanding Privilege Through Ableism 1. a. Working with a partner with whom you share a dominant group identity, draw on experiences from your own life in order to generate examples of how your internalized dominance (as a member of the group identity you share) manifests. Begin by thinking about privileges that you take for granted

Patterns of Internalized Dominance and Internalized Oppression 115     Source: Adapted from Adair & Howell (2007), with permission Figure 5.4. The Panopticon Source: www.moyak.com/papers/Panopticon.jpg 116   http://www.moyak.com/papers/Panopticon.jpg   This model produced a type of self-policing, a self-imposed mechanism for control and supervision. In other words, the prisoner becomes fearful of the threat of the

Hegemony, Ideology, and Power Hegemony refers to the control of the ideology of a society. The dominant group maintains power by imposing their ideology on everyone. Recall that ideology refers to the stories, myths, explanations, definitions, and rationalizations that are used to justify inequality between the dominant and the minoritized groups. The key element of

Internalized Oppression Internalized oppression refers to internalizing and acting out (often unintentionally) the constant messages that you and your group are inferior to the dominant group and thus deserving of your lower position. Examples include: Believing that dominant group members are more qualified for and deserving of their positions Seeking the approval of and spending

Microaggressions: The everyday slights and insults that 112 minoritized people endure and dominant people don’t notice or concern themselves with. Internalized dominance manifests in our daily actions through what psychologist Derald Wing Sue (2010) termed microaggressions. By definition, microaggressions are everyday slights, insults, and insensitivities from dominant group members to minoritized members. These messages are