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Teaching About Privilege to the Privileged*
Dr. Tracy L. Robinson-WoodThird Race Relations Conference on New England Campuses
Northeastern UniversityNovember 16, 2006
* Amended for web posting. Do not quote from without permission from the author
Overview Discuss white skin and other sources of
privilege Discuss socially constructed meanings
and discourses about privilege Increase awareness of privilege toward
the development of insight, transformation, and justice-oriented action
Overview
Enhance understanding of privilege and its maintenance of hierarchy
Explore strategies for teaching about privilege
What we are not going to do
Focus on the five F’s often associated with Diversity Food Festivals Fabric Focus on people of color (not Whites) Focus on feeling good (not honoring
the difficult, uneven, and hard places)
A Lens to See Through
In this presentation, a constructionist perspective is used
It suggests that society creates race, gender, sexuality as meaningful categories of privilege among people
A Lens to See Through
A Constructionist perspective is different from an essentialist perspective which suggests identities exist independent of our perceptions
Discourses Defined
Uses of language Hidden meanings used in place of
overtly stated verbal exchanges that operate as forms of social practice to communicate and perpetuate particular meanings
Discourses Discourses regarding privilege,
oppression, and diversity often reflect confusion about Meanings Populations Distinction between stigmatized identities
and internalized oppression Dialectic—people often possess privileged
and stigmatized identities
Stigma
Bodily sign designed to expose something unusual and bad about the moral status of an individual
Stigma
Stigma involves objectification and devaluation
Objectification refers to people being treated as if they were objects, members of categories rather than people with a multiplicity of characteristics
Question
What are unconscious and/or unspoken discourses about privilege?
Unearned Privilege (white skin)
An invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks which can be counted on daily but about which the person was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious
From Peggy McIntosh, White Privilege
Race
Race often functions as a grandmaster status, eclipsing, dominating, and overwhelming other markers, such as: Professional dress Other attire (briefcases) Standard English
Guiding Tenet, 1 Some dimensions of diversity function
as master statuses Race Class Gender Sexuality Ethnicity Disability Religion
Question
How do discourses about privilege show up and what does their presence mean in the classroom, meetings, and in service delivery?
Guiding Tenet, 2
Dominant discourses may be unconscious and pervasive throughout society
Guiding Tenet, 3
Having unearned privilege is not a negation of oppression in one’s life
Not having unearned privilege is not an indication of powerlessness and inferiority
Reactions to learning about privilege
Hostility at the messenger Anger Confusion Guilt, embarrassment, shame Denial Minimization of the information Rationalization Avoidance of difference, focus on
similarities
Consequences of privilege (oblivion)
Fear of and discomfort with others perceived to be different
Feeling that people perceived to be different lack what we have
Lack of awareness about one’s privileged identities
Guilt feelings or feeling like one is supposed to feel guilty
Consequences of privilege (oblivion)
Limited emotional and intellectual development Inability to experience empathy for
others’ perceived to be different Attributing powerlessness and
disadvantage to people who do not have unearned privilege
Teaching About Privilege
Have a good support system Have clear boundaries and
expectations Allow people to feel what they feel
Teaching about Privilege
Narrative Encourage students to read other
people’s narratives and stories about privilege, oppression, and diversity
Encourage students to write their own personal narratives and explore privilege, oppression, and diversity
Teaching About Privilege
Develop your spiritual life which fosters a connection with all living beings
Teaching About Privilege
Be aware of greater similarities between people than differences The Human Genome Sequencing
Project has confirmed that humans do not fit into the biological criteria that defines race
The DNA of humans is 99.9 percent alike
Teaching About Privilege
Know the cultural competencies for your profession
Teaching About Privilege
Be aware of and honest about your location in privilege and oppression discourses
On a regular basis, name your personal biases, fears, and attitudes about sources of difference to yourself and others
Teaching About Privilege Be aware of U.S. cultural values and practices
and their reinforcement of privileging discourses:
Individualism/Autonomy/Self-Reliance Competition Standard English (Written Tradition) Meritocracy and Democracy Empiricism Materialism/Affluence Control, Power Convenience Heterosexism
Teaching About Privilege
Cultivate genuine relationships with people who are racially, sexually, and religiously different from yourself Close friendships across sources of
difference often encourage comfort with and openness to meaningful and transformative dialogue