Terms Flashcards
Biological Determinism
A general theory holding that a group’s biological or genetic makeup shapes its social, political, and economic destiny.
Black Feminism
Feminism that centers on Black women as agents of knowledge in confronting race, gender, and class oppressions. A key component is that in order to create significant change, there must be an emphasis on both changed consciousness of individuals as well as the social transformation of political and economic institutions.
Colorism
Prejudice based on the relative lightness or darkness of the skin. Generally a phenomenon occurring within one’s own ethnic group. (Berry & Duke, Dark Girls documentary)
Commodification
The process of turning people into things, or commodities, for sale; an example is the commodification of women’s bodies through advertising
Conscientization
A methodology for understanding reality, or gaining a “critical consciousness,” through group dialogue, critical analysis, and examination of people’s experiences and conditions that face them, which leads to action to transform that reality.
Discrimination
Differential treatment against less powerful groups by those in positions of dominance
Dominant Culture
The values, symbols, means of expression, language, and interests of a group of people in power in society.
Essentialism
The view that some people have some inherent essence, or characteristics and qualities that define them.
Fat Activism
A social justice movement that focuses on ending discrimination based on size. It is also concerned with the intersections of body size and other forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, classism, and ableism.
Femicide
The mass murder of women simply because they are women
Gender Roles
The roles and behaviors considered culturally appropriate for women or men.
Globalization
Contemporary form of cultural and economic integration facilitated by electronic and economic media, international financial institutions, trade agreements, and national immigration policies
Hegemonic Feminism
A focus or pattern within feminisms that deemphasizes or ignores a class and race analysis, generally sees equality with men as the goal of feminism, and has an individual rights-based, rather than justice-based vision for social change.
Hegemony
A dominant organizing principle or the permeation throughout society of the ruling elite’s values, attitudes, beliefs, and morality. To the extent that people internalize this prevailing consciousness, it appears natural.
Heteronormativity
The portrayal of the institution of heterosexuality, its norms and practices, as natural and inevitable
Heterosexism
Attitudes, actions, and institutional practices that subordinate people on the basis of their GLBTQ identification
Ideology
Ideas, attitudes, and values that represent the interests of a group of people.
Institutionalized Racism
The systematic distribution of resources, power, and opportunities through institutions such as the government, corporations, academics, etc, that disenfranchises people of color.
Liberal Feminism
A type of feminism that understands the oppression of women in terms of unequal access to existing political, economic, and social institutions.
Misogyny
The intense hatred of women and the attitudes and behavior accompanying it
(Segato)
Multiracial Feminism
A feminist framework that is not focused on a singular or unified feminism but a body of knowledge situating men and women in multiple systems of domination. It encompasses several emergent perspectives developed primarily by women of color whose analyses are shaped by their unique perspectives as ‘outsiders within’—marginal intellectuals whose social locations provide the a particular perspective on self and society.
Normative Institutional Arrangements
Boundaries that shape social interactions and establish control over social environments
Objectification
Attitudes and behaviors by which people are treated as if they were “things”
Post-Colonial Feminism
A perspective that critiques Western imperialism and imperialist tendencies of Western feminism and emphasizes historically defined colonial power relations that provide a foundational context for women’s lives and struggles for change.
Postmodern Feminism
A type of feminism that critiques and resists universalizing claims about gender, experience, race, etc. The category of “woman” is a constantly shifting signifier.
Radical Feminism
A type of feminism that focuses on men’s control of women’s sexuality and reproduction and critiques gender roles within relationships, sexuality, violence, and institutions. Works to eradicate patriarchy and create women-centered ways of living.
Situated Knowledge
Knowledge and ways of knowing that are specific to a particular historical and cultural context and life experiences.
Social Constructionism
The view that concepts that appear to be immutable and often solely biological, such as gender, race, and sexual orientation, are instead defined by human beings and can vary, depending on cultural or historical contexts.
Socialist Feminism
A type of feminism that understands the oppression of women in terms of two interconnected and reinforcing systems: patriarchy and capitalism.
Standpoint Theory
The view that different social and historical situations give rise to very different group and individual experiences and theories about those experiences. Standpoint shapes a person’s view of the world and what she or he may or may not be able to comprehend about it.
Stigma
A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
Structural Racism
Policies and practices that are in place through institutions, relationships, and expectations that perpetuate colorism (Dr. Cheryl Grills, Dark Girls documentary)
Subjugated Knowledge
Knowledge generated from positions of subordination.
Symbolic Capital
Recognizable qualities, attributes, or objects that are given value (capital) within dominant culture or historical contexts. For example, Nakano-Glenn discusses the conceptualization of skin color as a form of symbolic capital.
Theory
An explanation of how things are and why they are the way they are; a theory is based on a set of assumptions, has a perspective, and serves a purpose.
Transnational Feminism
Feminism without borders that links scholars and activists in “non-colonized” dialogue across differences. This includes a commitment to avoid reproducing inequalities among feminists that parallel those among nations.
