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This presentation on Prezi does a great job explaining the goals of the Feminist Praxis. It also gives an overview of each of the components that are associated with this praxis. It gave a great approaches to activism, and provided a video that went over some backlash that comes with this topic.

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Feminist Praxis Way In: Steubenville The efforts of Anonymous and Goddard "to marshal the resources provided by the Internet and social media highlight the way that activism can take myriad forms and be used to ... perform a 'cultural service'" (154).

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I wanted to include this gif because I think it does a great job showing some signs that were made and used during an activist march for women's futures. I think it is important for signs to be eye catching so people want to look at them and then can decide if they want to be apart of the movement.

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This article talks about how women in the 21st century need to be empowered as the women they are and to never apologize. It also mentioned how we can't erase all elements patriarchy from our society, but we can reclaim those events. I thought this article was well written and gave great insight on this topic.

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I am a woman. I am a sister, a granddaughter, a friend and a best friend, a classmate, a leader, and a woman.

But we women have a problem of inclusion. Simone de Beauvoir writes in The Second Sex that women rarely talk about women as we, as if there is some fear of claiming unity. I notice this tendency in myself all the time; if I see a quality in another woman that I don't like, I quickly categorize her as being a certain type of woman that I am not. I watch The Bachelor and lament that the sort of woman who goes on that show--the sort who competes for a man's hand in marriage--is ruining all hope of tearing down the patriarchal walls that surround us, antagonizing them as impediments to gender equality. But what I have begun to envision is a feminism that embraces the we, that values all expressions of womanhood rather than isolating those who don't hold the same tools of feminism that I do. I have started to believe that the strength of feminism lies in an appreciation of all variations of being a woman, from the armpit-hair growers to the high-heel wearers (I am not trying to depict some sort of absolute scale here, but rather provide different examples of ways in which women might express themselves).

Feminism, to me, is about being empowered as the woman you are, and not apologizing for that for a minute or a second or a microsecond of your day.

Feminism, to me, is about being empowered as the woman you are, and not apologizing for that for a minute or a second or a microsecond of your day. Our world was crafted in a patriarchal fashion--it was never intended to be a place for us to feel equally important or valued or worthy of taking up space as are men. The ultimate tool with which to dismantle that order must be our own confidence in who we are; if men and society (and religion, and capitalism, and a lot of other things) are the hammers and nails that enclosed us in this asymmetric system, then our sense of empowerment and self-worth are our bulldozers and sledgehammers with which we will take it down.

A striking example of how women might find meaning in all sorts of places lies in how women practice Orthodox Judaism, an observant denomination that is often perceived as reinforcing gender stereotypes and perpetuating women's oppression. There are many ways of practicing Orthodox Judaism, including dressing modestly, refraining from reading Torah in synagogue services, and performing a set of mitzvot, or commandments, that often take place in a traditionally domestic realm. Yet many Orthodox women take pride in these duties as important ways in which they express their identities as women. They do not feel oppressed by their covered collarbones or shackled as they bake the challah for Shabbat; what some women perceive as a tool of the patriarchy, others utilize as a tool of their own feminism.

Maybe the power of feminism is found within our own unique cultures, identities, and our sometimes-divergent modes of expression. Maybe we don't need to define what a feminist looks like, because there is no single archetype.

Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen-name bell hooks, writes beautifully about the importance of theory in Theory as Liberatory Practice. She writes about theory as a sort of refuge she sought as a child trying to make sense of her world. Yet, she notes, theory is not sufficient to make a change. The mere possession of a term, she explains, does not put it into practice; at the same time, we might be practicing a theory without even being cognizant of what that theory is. Therefore, she writes, we can do the work of the feminist resistance without ever using the word feminism. What if that is our best defense against the current gendered order within which we live? What if our best way to fight the feminist fight is by being ourselves and loving ourselves, living as we are and cherishing all types of womanhood? Maybe the power of feminism is found within our own unique cultures, identities, and our sometimes-divergent modes of expression. Maybe we don't need to define what a feminist looks like, because there is no single archetype.

Now, it would be false to claim that even the most empowered of women have total agency over their choices. I might feel comfortable and proud of my decision to wear heels, but that decision is still rooted in a traditional desire to please the eye of the patriarchy. There are very few choices, if any, that we women can make that will truly be the result of our own volition, rather than some societal force. However, I believe that rather than eliminating these manifestations of our gendered world, we should accept the choices of those who wish to embrace them. We cannot, unfortunately, shed all elements of patriarchy from our society, but those who choose can reclaim those elements as instruments of their own feminism. In addition, by embracing all types of women, we avoid the risk of excluding women who are often marginalized by mainstream feminism, particularly women of color, women outside of North America and Western Europe, indigenous women, and many, many other groups that are not properly represented in popular discourse about women.

We cannot, unfortunately, erase all elements of patriarchy from our society, but those who wish to can reclaim those elements as instruments of their own feminism.

This practice of feminism, the practice of seeing all expressions of womanhood as legitimate and as mechanisms with which we can achieve gender parity, is imperfect. I do not mean to suggest that it is a flawless solution to the problem of gender inequality. I do, however, believe that this practice is an important approach to consider as we look at the society in front of us and seek to devise a future in which all women are treated equally in the law, in the household, in the workplace, and in the morality of all those who share this world.

We women do not express ourselves in the same ways, nor do we express ourselves in ways that are always compatible, but nonetheless, we are all women. I believe that we must embrace all modes of empowerment as equally valid and important components of our feminist fight. By doing so, we bring ourselves closer to the world we so need and deserve.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the McGill Left Review or its editors.

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I am a woman. I am a sister, a granddaughter, a friend and a best friend, a classmate, a leader, and a woman. But we women have a problem of inclusion. Simone de Beauvoir writes in The Second Sex that women rarely talk about women as we, as if there is some fear of claiming unity.

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This picture says it all. The future is female was discussed throughout the textbook and especially in chapter 13 when it talked about future visions. There as been so much progress made the last couple of decades and with Feminist Praxis I can't wait to see what the future holds.

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I wanted to include this picture of a poster of a group that used Feminist Praxis to advocate collective liberation. I think it is important to see how groups like this one uses media to get the word out about their organization and what they are trying to accomplish.

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I think the pictures really depicts what the topic of intersectionality stands for. It is shown that a women is stating she is black but is also mentioning what else she is besides the color of her skin. I think this pictures can really give people a strong visual of what intersectionality is.

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I really thought this gif really explained intersectionality well. A lot of the times when we speak out our gender is only represented. But this explains how race and feminism need to also be taken into consideration. When we consider more of these factors we can understand the identities of individuals.

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I thought this picture gives a really good outline of what intersectionality is. I am a visual learner so I think seeing this diagram helps put the pieces together of what we learned in class. All of these components are so important especially in terms of privilege and oppression and hopefully can find equality.

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I thought this article was such a good example of how events that happen in the world have a direct impact on intersectionality. The author of this article described an article that focuses on intersectionality and how black women are portrayed in society.

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Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com

In the 2010s intersectionality became the rallying cry of many left-wing activists fighting for social justice. The Oxford English Dictionary added the word in 2015, and Merriam-Webster published a definition two years later. The term skyrocketed in popularity, in part due to the philosophy espoused by Women's March organizers responding to U.S. President Donald Trump 's 2017 inauguration. But what exactly does intersectionality mean, and who coined the term?

Intersectionality first appeared in professor Kimberlé Crenshaw's 1989 paper for the University of Chicago Legal Forum. Titled "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics," the paper used legal and theoretical evidence to argue that, although Black women are "multiply-burdened" through their experiences as being both Black and women, society thinks of their discrimination as operating on a "single axis." However, in Crenshaw's view, the unique experience of Black women cannot be subsumed under general Black or women's experiences. People who only experience one of these factors of discrimination, such as Black men and white women, may come to dominate societal views on "the Black experience" and "the women's experience," sidelining the experience of Black women in the process.

Crenshaw's theory of intersectionality found many supporters in academia. But, as Crenshaw told a reporter for Vox in 2019, "'The thing that's kind of ironic about intersectionality is that it had to leave town'-the world of the law-'in order to get famous.'" Indeed, the concept has since been expanded beyond legal and Black feminist applications to include queer identities, class differences, and the experiences of disabled people, among others. There is an ongoing debate about the benefits of this terminological expansion in academic circles and across media organizations. Regardless of the direction of this debate, Crenshaw's term has become integral to discussions about identity and culture.

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In the 2010s intersectionality became the rallying cry of many left-wing activists fighting for social justice. The Oxford English Dictionary added the word in 2015, and Merriam-Webster published a definition two years later. The term skyrocketed in popularity, in part due to the philosophy espoused by Women's March organizers responding to U.S.

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This video is a great addition to information we learned in our textbook. It fills in the gaps as well as mentions examples that we can relate to as they are problems we are experiencing in today's world.

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This picture accurately describes how oppression is easier to notice than privilege. Being mistreated can have a greater effect on you more than being treated fairly. This picture does a nice job distinguishing privilege from oppression.

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This picture is probably my favorite artifact I found. Each word in this picture relates back to privilege and oppression. Social class is the biggest word because it has the most affect when talking about privilege and the smaller the words the less it has to do with the topic but is still important.

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This paper describes how privilege and oppression are two dominant forces in society. The author breaks down how economic status plays a huge role when talking about privilege. A good point that the author brought up was how privileges of dominant groups contribute to the progression of oppression of the subordinate groups in society.

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The Theoretical Concepts of Privilege and Oppression

Privilege and oppression are two dominant and opposing forces in the society that we live. Often, I find myself in situations where others judge me based on perceived social or economic status. The modern society in is divided into classes and each of these accorded particular privileges. However, it is not in all circumstances that I have received privilege. Oppression has also shaped a better part of my life. Oppression occurs when a particular group of people acquire and maintain particular advantages over others. In oppression, a group of individuals becomes dominant over another. The group may be defined by unique physical appearances, culture, language, or ethnic background. In this paper, I will critically analyze the theoretical concepts of privilege and oppression.

One of the things I have realized in life is that human beings are to a certain extent egocentric in nature. Thus when things are in their favor they often tend to forget about others or show empathy towards their needs or problems. This is exactly the way oppression is progressed across generations in society. When people receive privileges, they tend to make use of these privileges to maintain and perpetuate an advantage over other groups. The dominant group aims at maintaining the status quo by all means most probably as a result of having some vested interests. For instance, I always feel enthralled to receive privileges and hence willing to take steps to ensure that I continue to receive those privileges even in future.

Privileges of dominant groups significantly contribute to progression of oppression of the subordinate groups in society. One of the ways in which the progression occurs is through the use of social structures by the dominant groups. Since the dominant group controls all major areas of the county, the laws, policies, political systems, and social institutions tend to favor these dominant groups. As such, it is quite difficult for the subordinate groups to emerge from the suppression. Personal oppressions may also have a negative impact on groups of people. This is mostly in the way we tend to judge others which may have a negative impact on them. My attitude towards other people may have a negative or positive impact on them. A negative attitude means that it is difficult to maintain interpersonal relationships with such people. In this case, I will mostly alienate myself from such people which constitutes oppression. When certain groups bear dominant sets of behaviors, values, customs, and knowledge over other groups this may also be termed as oppression.

Related post: Developmental Perspectives on Behavior

Another area where privilege of dominant groups significantly contributed to oppression of subordinate groups is in class struggles which occurred in 19 th century America. It is only in the 20 th century that women stopped being considered as property of men. Women were denied basic rights such as the right to vote by men who were dominant in the society. Oppression has always been associated with perceived differences between aspects or groups of people. For instance, the perception that white is superior to black, or that women are inferior to men. If I harbor the belief that women are inferior to men, then it means that I will never treat any woman as equal to a man. This contributes to maintaining the oppression of subordinate groups.

A key element in privilege and oppression is the issue of power. In order for an individual or group to oppress another, he/she must yield some form of power, either real or imagined. Power is of essence in this. If for instance I am able to influence other people and make them agree with my points of view especially in making critical decisions, then it may be said that I yield power over them. Such influence or power can enable me to privilege my beliefs or values over those of the individuals. In addition, I may consider the subordinate group's beliefs and values as wrong and make them feel that I am the one who is right. Privilege and oppression are related in many ways. Depending on the context and particular circumstances, I may at one point be experiencing oppression while at another point, I am reinforcing oppression (Heldke & O'Connor, 2004).

I have received a number of unwarranted advantages during my life that benefit me even up to now. Being the eldest among my siblings, I have received unwarranted advantages from my parents compared to my younger siblings. My parents believe that as the eldest, I have to set a good example to my younger siblings. As such, they have devoted more attention to me in ensuring that I get the right education, moral values, and that I succeed in life. Even at a tender age, my parents would assign me responsibilities such as taking care of my younger siblings. This is despite the fact that I am only a year older than my younger brother. Even today, my parents still believe I should look after and give council to my younger siblings. I have come to realize that I have privilege status back at home. This status is assigned to me because I am the eldest in the family. As Pease (2010) says, oppression is all about assigned membership whereby a particular group is deemed subordinate, regardless of the attributes the group has.

Related post: Impact of Adverse Childhood Experience on Human Development

As a white, I have received unearned advantages in my entire life, but which I came to realize when I came of age. There are many advantages I receive as a white. First, I can do my shopping without being harassed or suspected of shoplifting. Most people hold the notion that it is the people of color who commit crimes in the country. Thus if I walk into a shopping mall with my friends of color, shop attendants are more likely to keep an eye on my friends rather than me. I have also realized that is easy for me to access credit or pass as financially reliable compared to my friends of color. Another advantage is that I can live in any location or neighborhood and expect the people to be pleasant to me. We live in a society that places privilege on the whites and oppression on the people of color (Croteau et al., 2002). While these advantages I receive may seem trivial, they mean a lot in the real world. For example, the privileges would enable me get a loan while a person of color would be denied the same despite our financial background being the same.

As a male, I have also received unearned advantages compared to my female friends. One of the reasons is because many of the societies, if not all of them, are patriarchal which means they assign more power to the male figure in the society. As a male, I have received privileges that women have literally had to fight for over the years. The most visible is political power which even today rests with males in the society. On most occasions, men are assigned leadership positions in the society since there is a notion that men are the better leaders. From the military to majority of organizations, men are the majority in the top positions. Men also hold religious power in the society. This is to say that if today I was to vie for a position of power, I a better placed in getting to power than my female opponents since the society ascribes power to men. According to Mullaly (2002) the modern culture is defined by male privilege. The institutions, policies, laws, and spaces privilege male interests who are the dominant group in the society.

Another unearned advantage I have received in my life is fair treatment due to my sexual orientation. The society is more welcoming of heterosexual people. However, the transgender and those in same-sex relationships are likely to face discrimination and acts of violence directed towards them due to their sexual orientation. As a heterosexual person, I am sure that my classmates or colleagues will be comfortable with me. Also as heterosexual person, I can talk about the subject without others feeling that I am forcing my sexual orientation on them. Also, I do not fear that if anyone knows about my sexual orientation that there will be any consequences, either psychological, emotional, or physical consequences. These advantages enable me to express myself and feel proud of who I am. This is in contrast to those in same-sex relations who have to live in fear or are forced to hide their sexual orientation in order to avoid being discriminated against.

There are certain privileges that I gain as a tertiary educated, professional welfare worker. Due to the level of education, I am more likely to be given a promotion compared to other welfare workers who have a lower level of education. Some of the welfare workers have more experience working with diverse communities. However when opportunities emerge concerning management of a particular program, I am mostly assigned the role due to the fact that I have higher academic qualifications. The privileges I receive can deny others the chance to attain higher positions even though they are qualified and have the necessary experience. The privileges also deny others the chance to prove their leadership capabilities (Mullaly & Mullaly, 2010). As aforementioned, power the critical aspect used in oppression. As people rise in positions of power they become capable of oppressing others. This form of oppression is structural in nature since it relates to the way social institutions favor the dominant groups in the society or those groups that yield power.

As a welfare worker, I also receive the privilege of being among the majority and dominant groups in the workforce. The whites make up majority of those in the entire workforce. They also dominate the leadership positions in the workforce. The society perceives the minority ethnic groups as subordinates and inferior in some way (Ferber, 2008). The superior groups are given more responsibilities and are seen as the best suited to lead others. The minority groups rarely get to positions of power. This is more so because of the dominant groups which have vested interests and feel the need to protect these interests. For instance, they feel the need to maintain dominance due to pride or other hidden reasons. The privilege of being in a position of power as a welfare worker contributes to ongoing oppression of others. This is because the very fact of being in that position means that somebody else has been denied the privilege of being there.

As a tertiary educated and professional welfare worker, I have enjoyed other privileges as well. For instance, it is easy for me to put my points across and be heard. I have realized that what when I say something my colleagues take it serious and evaluate it with keen interest. During meetings, my opinions are highly regarded. This is evidenced by the fact that even when I fail to contribute the manager may still enquire about my opinion. This is in contrast to junior level employees whose opinions are not taken as seriously as it should. Such privilege may make the junior workers to feel sidelined and lead to low morale of the workers. It also denies them the opportunity to voice their concerns in the organization. The privilege in this case is assigned to people who have a higher educational status than others.

In conclusion, privilege and oppression are complex in nature and affect us in different ways. In some situations, I may be a victim of oppression while at on other circumstances, I may be the one having privilege or maintaining oppression on subordinates. All individuals are defined by groups which they associate with. These groups reinforce oppression within the subordinate groups in the society. The dominant groups are keen on maintaining their influence over other groups. This is due to vested interests that the groups may harbor.

References

Croteau, J. et al. (2002). A Qualitative study of the interplay between privilege and oppression. Journal of Multicultural Counselling and Development, 30(4): 239-258.

Ferber, A. L. (2008). The matrix reader: Examining the dynamics of oppression and privilege. New York, N.Y: McGraw-Hill.

Heldke, L. M., & O'Connor, P. (2004). Oppression, Privilege, and Resistance: Theoretical Perspectives on Racism, Sexism, and Heterosexism. McGraw-Hill.

Mullaly, Bob. (2002). Challenging Oppression: A Critical Social Work Approach. Ontario: Oxford University Press.

Mullaly, R. P., & Mullaly, R. P. (2010). Challenging oppression and confronting privilege: A critical social work approach. Don Mills, Ont: Oxford University Press.

Pease, Bob (2010). Undoing Privilege: unearned advantage in a divided world. London: Zed Books.

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The Theoretical Concepts of Privilege and Oppression - Sample Papers

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Privilege and oppression are two dominant and opposing forces in the society that we live. Often, I find myself in situations where others judge me based on perceived social or economic status. The modern society in is divided into classes and each of these accorded particular privileges.

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This video helps explain how privilege and oppression help shape self identity and social structures. It explains how the norms of identity and that if a race isn't described it usually means they are white. Another example was how schools are a gauge of privilege when it comes to private and public schooling. All in all, this video really nails down where the topic of privilege and oppression come from.

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I found this gif on the internet and I think it really sums up what privilege and oppression is. In most aspects it is racist when comparing different cultures and norms. It is important to recognize differences and avoid homogeneous that assumes sameness.

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This video helps explain the social construction of gender, and gives us the connections from our textbook to real life scenarios. It describes the characteristics and how gender isn't fixed. By unpacking this it helps people who aren't familiar with this topic become more educated on this topic.

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Professions play a big role in the social construction of gender. Children are taught at a young age that certain workforces are for a certain gender. This then limits what they think they can grow up to be. The picture below represents only a few professions but as you can see the women are depicted as pretty and feminine while the men seem more masculine.

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This football represents how throwing a ball is a learned act and most people can perform. However, because girls are less likely to be taught this skill the more they are mocked because the are pegged with this stereotype "you throw like a girl" Men are not necessarily better athletes than women, rather sports have developed athletic competencies of men.

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This makeup represents two different sides of gender, and how beauty ideals is incorporated when talking about gender. In the media, women have a standard of being pretty and this comes with wearing excessive make-up. In contrast, when men wear makeup they are thought of as less masculine.

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This babydoll represents what children (usually girls) receive when the are younger to play with. This plays into the social construction of gender because by having this doll you are assuming that the child is more feminine because they are a girl.