Identity…

1. Identity… • Definition: • the distinct personality of an individual • the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known • Has a dual nature • Colors perceptions (our perception of the world and the world’s perception of us) • Is complex and multifaceted • Is contextual

2. Difference is NOT the problem Categories of difference are socially constructed Difference has no significance outside of systems of privilege and oppression, and it is these systems that created difference The problem is produced by a world organized in ways that encourage people to use difference to include or exclude, reward or punish, credit or discredit, elevate or oppress, value or devalue, leave alone or harass

3. Privilege Privilege: Benefits and power from institutional inequalities Privilege exists when one group has something of value that is denied to others simply because of the group they belong to, rather than because of anything they’ve done or failed to do Individuals and groups may be privileged without realizing, recognizing, or even wanting it

4. Oppression “The systematic, institutionalized mistreatment of one group of people by another for whatever reason.” (Gloria Yamato) “The experience of oppressed people is that the living of one’s life is confined and shaped by forces and barriers which are not accidental or occasional.” (Marilyn Frye)

5. Different Types of Privilege Gender Race Sexuality Class Able-bodied

6. Institutionalized Differences Part of a well established system Exist beyond the intentions of individuals (micro) Exist on a large scale, at a societal level (macro) Differences are ranked, creating a hierarchy Patterns of difference become systems of privilege and inequality

7. Diversity Wheel

8. Institutions Definition: social organizations that involve established patterns of behavior organized around particular purposes Institutions can be formal – functioning through established rules or laws Or informal - functioning through social norms (cultural expectations) Examples: government, economy, family, marriage, education, mass media, sports, etc. Institutions can support structures of domination and subordination or they might resist them

9. Maintaining Systems of Structural Inequality Using the values, characteristics, features of the dominant group as the supposedly neutral standard against which all others should be evaluated Language: using terms that distinguish the subordinate from the dominant group Stereotyping, cultural appropriation