Chapter 9: Oppression: The Focus of Structural Social Work

Question 1

Structural social work contends that _________ is on the basis of all social problems

Answer 1

oppression

Question 2

Most structural social work is carried out with or on behalf of ________ ______

Answer 2

oppressed groups

Question 3

What is oppression, according to Barker (2003)?

Answer 3

“The social act of placing severe restrictions on an individual, group or institution. The oppressed individual or group is devalued, exploited and deprived of privileges by the individual or group which has more power.” (Barker, 2003)

Question 4

What are the 2 natures of oppression?

Answer 4

1. Group based
2. Relational

Question 5

What is group based oppression?

Answer 5

Disadvantages that are experienced by individuals because of their membership in a particular group.

Question 6

Converse of oppression is ______

Answer 6

Privilege

Question 7

What is privilege?

Answer 7

Advantages individuals experience because of their group membership

Question 8

Oppression and privilege result from the social meanings that we ascribe to certain groups and their members that determine which group is ________ to the other

Answer 8

superior

Question 9

What is relational oppression?

Answer 9

Oppression happens not just when there are different groups in society, but when one of those groups has a position of power that is used to maintain its dominant position at the expense of the subordinate or oppressed groups

Question 10

What is essentialism?

Answer 10

The perspective that reality exists independently of our perception of it

Question 11

What is constructionism?

Answer 11

The perspective that reality cannot be separated from the way a culture makes sense of it

Question 12

What is the basis of oppression?

Answer 12

Difference

Question 13

What is exploitation?

Answer 13

When the dominant group uses difference to maintain and solidify its privileged position

Question 14

What is an example of exploitation?

Answer 14

Men are intellectually superior to women, thus, only men should hold positions of authority in society

Question 15

What is denial?

Answer 15

When the dominant group denies the existence of difference

Question 16

Not everything that frustrates or limits or hurts a person is ________

Answer 16

oppression

Question 17

What are the three levels of oppression?

Answer 17

1. Personal (thoughts attitudes, and beliefs)
2. Cultural (shared values, norms)
3. Structural (laws, policies, economics)

Question 18

What are the 4 conditions of oppression (Cudd, 2005)?

Answer 18

1. The harm condition: individuals are harmed by institutional practices (e.g. rules, laws, expectations, stereotypes, rituals, behavioural norms)
2. The group condition: individuals suffer from harm in (1) because of thier membership (or perceived membership) in a social group
3. The privilege condition: there is another social group that benefits from the institutional practice
4. The coercion condition: there is unjustified coercion or force that brings about the harm

Question 19

What is the myth of objective information?

Answer 19

It is possible for one group–the dominant group– to observe humanity objectively. The minority is biased for their own benefit

Question 20

What is the myth of might is right?

Answer 20

The majority (or most powerful) rules even if it means tyranny over the minority

Question 21

What is stereotyping?

Answer 21

Belief that all members of the group are the same

Question 22

What is blaming the victim?

Answer 22

Saying that people are responsible for their own oppression

Question 23

What is separation, competition, and hierarchy?

Answer 23

Human beings are competitive by nature and aspire to be ahead/above others

Question 24

What is the myth of class?

Answer 24

Most people belong to middle class, which lives in ‘harmony’ with the higher class

Question 25

What is the myth of equal opportunity?

Answer 25

Because civil and political rights have been equalized under the law (ex. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) it is believed that if one works hard enough and takes advantage of the opportunities (ex. education and employment) available to all, then one can succeed in life.

Question 26

What are the 5 forms of oppression?

Answer 26

1. Exploitation 2. Marginalization 3. Powerlessness 4. Cultural imperalism 5. Violence

Question 27

What is marginalization?

Answer 27

The process by which groups are confined to the margins of society because the labour market cannot or will not accomodate them

Question 28

What is powerlessness?

Answer 28

The inhibition against the development of one's capacities, a lack of decision-making power in one's life, and exposure to disrespectful treatment because of the status one occupies

Question 29

What is cultural imperialism?

Answer 29

This form of oppression comes about when the dominant group universalizes its experiences and culture and uses them as the norm. The dominant group projects its experience and culture as representative of all humanity.

Question 30

What is violence?

Answer 30

Almost all oppressed groups suffer systematic violence simply because of their group membership

Question 31

What is memesis?

Answer 31

Imitating the behaviours or attitudes of the dominant group in an attempt to gain a slightly more privileged status

Question 32

What is escape from identity?

Answer 32

Attempting to flee from target/subordinate status to another social group that has fewer social penalties

Question 33

What is psychologically withdrawing?

Answer 33

Consistently adopting a cautious low profile about target/subordinate status as a way of decreasing visibility

Question 34

What are guilt-expiation rituals?

Answer 34

Self-mutilating alterations

Question 35

What is in-group hostility?

Answer 35

Comparing self to other target/subordinate members in hierarchical manner

Question 36

What is socially withdrawing?

Answer 36

Behaving one way with a dominant group and another way with the subordinate group

Question 37

Many definitions of social justice focus on _________ or _________ justice

Answer 37

distributive; redistributive

Question 38

What does distributive justice focus on?

Answer 38

On the ways that resources, privileges and rights are distributed in society

Question 39

Distributive justice seeks to redistribute resources in more _______ ways

Answer 39

equitable

Question 40

What is the main problem with redistributive justice?

Answer 40

It ignores the social processes and practices which caused the inequality in the first place

Question 41

There are limits to the redistribution of ___-______ things

Answer 41

non-material

Question 42

To end oppression, we need to move beyond redistributive models of social justice, and we need to focus on procedural issues of __________ and ________ _______

Answer 42

participation; decision making

Question 43

According to Mullaly and Dupre, society is just only if it contains and supports the _________ conditions necessary for the promotion of the universal value that everyone is of _______ _____

Answer 43

institutional; intrinsic worth

Question 44

Social conditions would be just only if they enabled all people to meet their ______ and exercise ________

Answer 44

needs; freedoms

Question 45

Social processes would be just only if they were _________ and all groups had a _____

Answer 45

inclusive; voice

Question 46

Social practices would be just only if they were in accordance with how people would:

Answer 46

like themselves to be treated

Question 47

Recognizing the limits of redistributive models of social justice directs us to look for more ________ solutions to deal with the causes (not just the effects) of _______

Answer 47

structural; oppression

Question 48

Understanding the systematic nature of oppression avoids _______ the ________

Answer 48

blaming the victim

Question 49

Only an awareness of the way that oppression is produced in everyday life will lead to ________ ____________

Answer 49

structural solutions

Question 50

Understanding oppression will help social workers engage more meaningfully with the people we serve in ______________ raising and _________ activities

Answer 50

consciousness; normalization