Test Flashcards
Postmodernism
- nothing is neutral, everything is subjective
- Truth is culturally and historically relative
- No one universal, objective truth
- Human nature is socially constructed, human nature does not exist otherwise
- interested in subjective experiences, the effects of power relations, & use of language in in creation of socially constructed realities
- argues that 1 universal truth is subtly imperialistic, cuz it could be used to impose 1 culture’s values on another
Feminist Theory
- examines the nature of gender inequality
- women have been systematically oppressed
- use the knowledge about the status of women vs men in society to better women’s lives
- change is still needed to achieve equality between the sexes
Critical Disability Theory
- people with disabilities have been regarded as individuals who cannot fully function in society
- Disability is an idea created by those not disabled and ignores the reality of how able a disabled person is
- This theory explores the idea of disability as a social construct
- Focuses on stigma, discrimination and barriers people with disabilities face
- theory explores this social construct of disability as individual inadequacy through research that involves exploring how environmental, social, political, and cultural barriers that are more disabling than physical and cognitive abilities
Critical Race Theory
- looks at law and society through the lens of race cuz racism is embedded in society’s attitudes & institutions
- Started in the 70s when activists realized that advances in the civil rights movements were being stalled by subtler forms of racism
- Highlights the ways in which the application of the law is not applied equally across racial groups & favours white people
Indigenous Knowledge Approach
- places emphasis & respect on what people in a region know about their religion to live sustainably
- the local knowledge that is unique to a culture or society - passed through generations (usually by word of mouth)
- UNESCO defines it as “the local knowledge that is unique to a culture or society”
Postcolonial Theory
- Focuses on the frustration and marginalization of colonized people who deal with the aftermath of being colonized
- Business, art, literature, films, music, remind and reinforce the memory or ways of life during those colonial times.
- the purpose of adopting this lens is to expose how, even today current and former ruling nations still can have power over others in the way they are viewed by others
- Listening to their voices instead of the voices of those that ruled them
Anti-oppression Theory
- focuses on intersectionality
- referred to as anti-oppressive practice, is a practice that emerged in social sciences to address issues of diversity, equity, & inclusion
- recognizes that oppression exists in society at personal, institutional, and systematic levels
- by identifying & critiquing patterns of oppression (racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, etc), it strives to address and correct imbalance in society.
- purpose to confront the power an privilege which we exert in our communities, understand that oppressions intersects, that marginalized groups can internalize oppression, & that privileged groups must act to challenge larger oppressive power structures
Equity vs Equality
Equality
- Treats everyone the same, regardless of their needs or circumstances
- Assumes that everyone has the same starting point and will face the same challenges
Equity
- Recognizes that people have different needs & circumstances
- Provides resources & opportunities based on those needs
- Adjusts for imbalances to ensure fairness in outcomes
Equality= each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.
Equity= recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome
Socially Dominant groups are
groups that have power in our society - i.e access privileges & thus opportunities that others don’t
- they have social economic, & political power and they are not always the majority (or largest) group in any given population
Social Construction
- Social construction assumes that people construct (i.e., create, make, invent) their understandings of the world & the meanings they give to encounters with others, or various products they or others create
- also assumes that they do this jointly, in coordination with others, rather than individually
-Example: the idea of a monarchy (king or queen ruling because of their blood line is a social construction)
–>“Race” = social construct.
Explanation: Race isn’t biological. No gene that is common for a group of people
Brute Fact
facts that have no explanation and are independent of all human agreement, language & institutions
- Example: there is snow on mount Everest
Intersectionality
- intersectional lens: All parts of our identity interact with each other to produce unique individual lived experiences that can generate privilege & disadvantage simultaneously.
- We cannot think of people as singular identities (e.g., White person). We need to be cognizant of the intersections (e.g., White, low income, female).
- CARTOON: intersectionality is the belief that oppressions are interlinked & cannot be solved alone.
Social Justice is
a concept based on the belief that everyone has a right to opportunity, civil liberties, and full participation in the social, educational, economic, institutional, and moral freedoms and responsibilities of that society.
Human Rights
The foundation of equity and social justice is human rights as decreed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Systematic Barriers to Equity
- Essentially, we can find acts of discrimination where barriers to full participation in society are made through neutral legislation.
- That is, laws created to deal with one thing wind up creating discrimination & barriers in others.
Systematic Barriers to Equity Examples: Building Code
- 2010: 4 municipalities removed laws regulating where disabled people could live.
- OG Law: Required “mandatory separation distances” for homes with disability modifications (e.g., ramps, elevators).
- Limitation: Restricted housing options for people with disabilities.
- Impact of Change: Disabled individuals can now live anywhere & build accessibility structures as needed.
Systematic Barriers to Equity Examples: Education
- Increasing Diversity: Ontario’s Public & Catholic schools r welcoming more international students.
- Cultural Challenges: Existing school policies sometimes conflict with students’ religious practices.
Examples:
–>Kirpan (Sikh ceremonial knife): Initially seen as a weapon but later allowed through court rulings.
–>Ramadan (Muslim fasting): Overlaps with school celebrations, requiring local accommodations. - Key Issue: School systems may unintentionally create challenges for religious students, requiring legal or policy adjustments.
Systematic Barriers to Equity Examples: Sports
- Hockey’s Popularity: Canada’s most popular sport, historically male-dominated.
- Women in Hockey: Led to initial challenges with change rooms and team structures, later resolved.
- Gender Identity Challenges: Early policies only addressed binary gender identities.
- 2014 Policy Change: Hockey Canada introduced inclusivity measures for transgender players, including:
- Training for coaches.
- Right to use dressing rooms
- matching gender identity.
- Right to be addressed by chosen name & pronouns.
Individual Barriers to Equity
Individual factors r each person’s inherent beliefs, values, biases or prejudices.
These r shaped by upbringing & lived experiences.
People may fail to engage with a social justice issue, or may oppose it with hostility cuz of these individual factors.
Individual Barriers to Equity Examples: Lack of Knowledge
- (2014): Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscar selfie broke retweet records.
- Samsung gave Ellen >$1 million for charity; she donated much to the Humane Society of the U.S.
- Seal Hunt Controversy: Ellen called Canada’s seal hunt “atrocious and inhumane.”
- Inuit Response: Felt insulted, emphasizing: Food Security, Clothing & Culture, Hunting Ethics
- Key Issue: Lack of knowledge or cultural awareness led to misunderstanding and friction.
Individual Barriers to Equity Examples: Misguided Assumptions
- Heterosexism is a misguided assumption that everyone is heterosexual.
- Even without cruel intent, heterosexist words or actions can alienate non-heterosexual individuals.
Ex of Heterosexism: Assuming all people r heterosexual, Assuming attraction is only to the opposite sex, Assuming all children have male-female parents.
Solution: Use inclusive language and actions (e.g., “Parent Day” instead of “Father-Son Camping Trip”).
Individual Barriers to Equity Examples: Prejudicial Beliefs
- Types of Prejudice: Can be implicit (unconscious) or explicit (conscious).
- Discrimination: When prejudice influences actions, it becomes discrimination.
Examples of Prejudicial Beliefs:
Some races are naturally more athletic, Certain traits are inherent to men or women, Members of certain religions are untrustworthy.
Solution: Recognizing inherent biases is the first step toward equity.
Social and Cultural Belief Systems Barrier to Equity
An individual’s social or cultural belief system can affect his or her perspectives and decisions relating to social justice issues.
Social and Cultural Belief Systems Examples: Cultural Beliefs of Homosexuality
- Global Perspective: Homosexuality is illegal in 70 countries.
- Cultural & Religious Influence: In these regions, homosexuality is often seen as morally wrong.
- Impact on Individuals:
Shapes personal beliefs and internal conflicts, Contributes to the persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, Influences views on sexuality & homophobia as a social justice issue. - Migration Challenge: Moving to LGBTQ+-accepting countries may challenge ingrained beliefs, requiring cultural adaptation & exposure to new perspectives.
Social and Cultural Belief Systems Examples: Social Beliefs of Gender
- Historical Exclusion: Before FIFA 16 (2015), EA Sports’ FIFA games only featured male teams.
- Impact of Developers’ Beliefs: Past personal or societal biases may have influenced the exclusion of women’s teams.
- Social & Cultural Attitudes:
Soccer has traditionally been male-dominated in media and gaming, Women’s sports have often been undervalued or overlooked. - Significance of Change: Including female players reflects shifting gender norms and growing recognition of women’s sports.
The Bystander Effect
is a psychological phenomenon where individuals r less likely to intervene or offer help in an emergency situation when there r other people present, as the presence of a crowd diffuses the responsibility to act, making each person feel less personally obligated to help.
The Bystander Effect: Kitty Genovese
- March 13,1964
- returning home from work, stabbed by man outside her apartment
- after 1st stabbing, a neighbour yelled “leave that girl alone”, causing the man to leave.
- when nobody came to help, he returned & stabbed her several more times
- 38 people in the building heard her but nobody called 911 or helped her
- took half an hour for someone to call the police, but by the time they came, she was dead
The Bystander Effect: Rwanda Mass Murdering
- 1994, course of 100 days, the Hutu ethnic majority gov of Rwanda murdered about 800,000 minority Tutsi & politically-moderate Hutu citizens = Rwandan Genocide
- world’s powers & international community were alerted to the systematic killings but little was done
- Canadian General Romeo Dailaire, asked “Are all humans human? Or are some more human than others?”
- world remains responsible for permitting the genocide to occur
- one of the greatest slaughters of human since the holocaust
The Bystander Effect: LaShanda Calloway
- June 22, 2007
- lay dying from stab wounds at a Kansas convenience store
- 5 shoppers walked over her, one even took a photo
- nobody helped, she later died on her way to the hospital
The Bystander Effect: Wang Yue
- Oct 11,2011
- 2 year old was hit by a van
- when she wasn’t able to move by bystanders, was run over by a truck in Foshan, China
- 18 people ignored her lying on the ground & was left for 7 mins until someone picked her up & called for help. –>she died from her injuries
