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Anti-Oppression: Anti-Oppression

Being oppressed means the absence of choices --bell hooks

 

A note on the scope of this guide:

This guide is intended to provide general information about anti-oppression, diversity, and inclusion as well as information and resources for the social justice issues key to current dialogues within the University of Wyoming community. This guide is by no means an exhaustive list of anti-oppressive initiatives nor does it capture all of the many facets of the larger conversations about the issues listed here. This guide serves as an introduction to these issues and as a starting place for finding information from a variety of sources.

Welcome

Welcome to the UW Libraries Anti-Oppression Guide

This guide is intended to provide some general information about anti-oppression, diversity, and inclusion as well as information and resources for the social justice issues key to the University of Wyoming community.

This guide is by no means exhaustive but rather serves as a starting place for finding information from a variety of sources. It will continue to develop in response to evolving anti-oppression issues and community needs.

Related Guides

Key Journals

Wyoming Specific Resources

Websites and Archives
Videos
Multicultural Student Organizations

Asian American Pacific Islander Student Association 

Black Student Alliance (BSA) 

Keepers of the Fire (KOF) 

Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A.) 

Multicultural Association of Student Scientists (MASS) 

National Society of Black Engineers at the University of Wyoming 

Sigma Delta Pi 

 

Additional UW Organizations

ASUW sub-committee on diversity issues

MLK Days of Dialogue

Rainbow Resource Center

Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Contact the Library

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Disclaimer

In an effort at full disclosure, it should be noted that the collaborators on this guide occupy some of the oppressed identities outlined here, but not all of them. We have attempted to bring together quality, relevant resources for the anti-oppression issues in this guide, but we are not immune from the limits and hidden biases of our own privileges and perspectives as allies.

We welcome and greatly appreciate any feedback and suggestions for the guide, particularly from the perspectives and experiences of the marginalized groups listed and not listed here.

Let's Remain a United Community in Challenging Times

June 1, 2020

Dear University of Wyoming Community:

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented times, impacting us locally, regionally, nationally and globally. The pandemic has brought out the best in the University of Wyoming community, such as raising more than a half-million dollars to distribute emergency funds to students and implementing programs and services to support students, faculty and staff remotely. At the same time, we are also part of the community experiencing the worst of humanity that exacerbates this health and economic crisis, as the UW community lives here and abroad.

We bear witness to the horrifying legacies of historical injustices and inequities of racism that can lead to violence and death toward Black and Brown Americans, such as the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Amaud Arbery. Our history is clouded with other such similarly senseless deaths that have resulted in the protests as seen last week and today.

We bear witness to the disparate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Brown, Native and Indigenous, elderly, poor, individuals with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. We bear witness to an increase in racism toward Asians, other racial identities, antisemitism, homophobia, domestic violence, sexual violence and more that are worsened by the economic downturn and most significantly by the illnesses and deaths of family, friends, and people we know and care about due to COVID-19.

During these unprecedented times, let us remember our University of Wyoming values where racism, violence, sexual violence, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ableism, national origin and other forms of disparate treatment, injustices and inequities are denounced. Let us stay committed to our resolve to educate our campus community to interrupt, stop and eliminate inequities, injustices and violence from our society at the local, regional, national and global levels. Let us resolve to be a united community regardless of social identities or beliefs.

We have support systems in place for the campus community through a variety of means. Please visit www.uwyo.edu/shser/corona-virus.html, where you can find resources for students, faculty and staff that can support us through this pandemic and the protests. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is hosting a third UW Employee Community Check-In focused on the protests, civic unrest, pandemic and any of your other concerns. Our website will be updated soon with more information at www.uwyo.edu/diversity. Feel free to email us at diversity@uwyo.edu if you have questions or seek more information.

Let us commit to emerging from these challenging times in solidarity, stronger and better than ever before.

Sincerely,

Emily Monago, Chief Diversity Officer

UW Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Some Basics

Oppression = prejudice + power

  • Oppression is more than the prejudicial thoughts and actions of individuals, oppression is institutionalized power that is historically formed and perpetuated over time;
  • Through the use of that institutionalized power, it allows certain groups of people or certain identities to assume a dominant (privileged) position over other groups and identities and this dominance is maintained and continued at institutional  and cultural levels;
  • This means oppression is built into institutions like government and education systems. For example, think of ways that heterosexism is privileged by and built into laws around marriage, property ownership, and raising/adopting children.

Systems of oppression run through our language, shape the way we act and do things in our culture, and are built around what are understood to be “norms” in our societies. A norm signifies what is “normal,” acceptable, and desirable and is something that is valued and supported in a society. It is also given a position of dominance, privilege, and power over what is defined as non-dominant, abnormal, and therefore, invaluable or marginal.

Related Information

Anti-Oppression is the strategies, theories, actions and practices that actively challenge systems of oppression on an ongoing basis in one's daily life and in social justice/change work. Anti-oppression work seeks to recognize the oppression that exists in our society and attempts to mitigate its effects and eventually equalize the power imbalance in our communities. Oppression operates at different levels (from individual to institutional to cultural) and so anti-oppression must as well.

Though they go hand in hand, anti-oppression is not the same as diversity & inclusion. Diversity & Inclusion (which are defined in another tab) have to do with the acknowledgment, valuing, and celebration of difference, whereas Anti-Oppression challenges the systemic biases that devalue and marginalize difference. Diversity & Inclusion and Anti-Oppression are two sides of the same coin--one doesn't work without the other--but they are not interchangeable.

Related Information

      Image: All Oppression is Connected by Empoweress      Image: "Don't fight hate with hate" is an example of subtle gaslighting, where our legitimate hurt and anger at the injustices we suffer is being equated to the bigotry and abuse of our oppressors. Being angry doesn't mean you are being hateful, it means you love yourself enough to get upset at your own mistreatment.            "Nothing I accept about myself can be used against me to diminish me." ~Audre Lorde

So...what's "misia"?

You may be wondering why our guide uses the suffix "misia" instead of the suffix "phobia." If you've not encountered "misia" language before, you may also be wondering what it means. Well never fear! We are more than happy to explain this relatively new shift in language.

The suffix "phobia" comes from the Greek word for "fear of," and so it denotes an intense aversion to the part of the word that precedes it (e.g. arachnophobia is a fear of spiders). Words like "homophobia" or "Islamophobia" are pretty recognizable, and most folks understand them to mean a position or perspective that is prejudicial and discriminatory against LGBTQIA+ identities and the religion of Islam respectively. 

The problem with using "phobia" terms as labels for prejudice is that there are folks who actually have phobias (real anxiety disorders in which someone experiences intense anxiety or fear that they're unable to control—Claustraphobia, for instance). So when we use terms like "homophobia," we are equating bigotry with a mental health disorder, which does several problematic things:

  • It relies on and reinforces the harmful stigma against mental illness 
  • It inaccurately attributes oppression and oppressive attitudes to fear rather than to hate and bigotry;
  • It removes the accountability of an oppressive person by implying their actions and attitudes are outside their control.

So since labeling oppression with "phobia" suffixes is harmful, many folks are exchanging them for "misia" suffixes instead. Misia (pronounced "miz-eeya") comes from the Greek word for hate or hatred, so similar to how Islamophobia means "fear of Islam," the more accurate Islamomisia means "hatred of Islam."

For these reasons, our guide will be using "misia" language in place of "phobia" in an effort to be as accurate, clear, and inclusive as possible.

Further Information

Diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity & orientation, age, socioeconomic class, physical ability or attributes, neurodivergence or neurological condition, religious or ethical values system, and national origin. (adapted from Ferris State University)

Equity is defined as “the state, quality or ideal of being just, impartial, and fair.” The concept of equity is closely tied to fairness and justice, and all three are context-specific to the historical, systemic barriers, disadvantages, and power disparities present in any given situation. It is helpful to think of equity as not simply a desired state of affairs or a "finish line," but instead as a continuous structural concept—a lens and mindset (proactively reinforced by policies, practices, attitudes, and actions) through which power is redistributed and inequity is challenged and addressed. (adapted from Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide)

Inclusion is involvement and empowerment, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized. An inclusive community promotes and sustains a sense of belonging; it values, celebrates, and recognizes the enriching benefits of diversity and practices respect for the talents, beliefs, identities, and lived experiences of its members. (adapted from Ferris State University)

Justice is the systematic fair treatment of all people along all axes of identity and of any social position. In practice, it is the proactive operationalization of policies, practices, attitudes, and actions resulting in equitable access, opportunities, treatment, empowerment, and outcomes for all. (adapted from Center for the Study of Social Policy)

"Diversity & Inclusion" is a very frequently heard phrase. Though they go hand in hand, diversity & inclusion is not the same as anti-oppression. Diversity & Inclusion have to do with the acknowledgment, valuing, celebration, and empowerment of difference, whereas Anti-Oppression challenges the systems and systemic biases that devalue and marginalize difference. Diversity & Inclusion and Anti-Oppression are all necessary in order to work toward Equity and Justice.

Note: Definitions for diversity are...well...diverse. Context and environment play a big part in what we mean when we say "diversity," and as social justice movements have gained media spotlight, the term has unfortunately become somewhat hollowed out from being overused and under-defined from situation to situation. The definitions above do not capture the many, many cultural and political nuances embedded in these terms, rather they are intended to provide a broad scaffolding for understanding and engaging with the dialogues in and outside Simmons and on which more specific iterations of these concepts as they apply to particular communities can be structured.

Allyship is a process, most notably a learning process. Allyship involves a lot of listening and is sometimes referred to as "doing ally work," "acting in solidarity with," or "being an accomplice" to reference the fact that "ally" is not an identity but rather an ongoing and lifelong process and commitment to action that involves a lot of work. 

An ally acknowledges the limits of their knowledge about oppressed people’s experiences but doesn't use that as a reason not to think and/or act. An ally does not remain silent but confronts oppression as it comes up daily and also seeks to deconstruct it institutionally and live in a way that challenges systemic oppression, even at the risk of experiencing some of that oppression. Being an ally entails building relationships with both people oppressed by their identities but also with people privileged by their identities in order to challenge them in their thinking. (adapted from Allyship & Anti-Oppression)

Allies don’t have it all figured out but are committed to non-complacency.

Related Information

Privilege & Intersectionality

Privilege

Privilege is unearned benefits/entitlements or lack of barriers assigned to an identity that society considers a "norm" and therefore dominant. Privilege and oppression are well-maintained social systems that are reinforced by binarized, normative hierarchies that categorize certain identities as superior (privileged) and their supposed opposites as inferior (oppressed) (e.g. male and female; straight and queer; cisgender and transgender, etc.). There are various forms of privilege, some of them tangible and others less so. One form of privilege, for instance, is the representation of one's identity in mainstream media and books—something intangible but nevertheless valuable in our culture.

Further Information

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is a legal and sociological theory that promotes the understanding that individuals have multiple identity factors and are "shaped by the interactions and intersections of these different social [identity factors] (e.g., race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, gender, class, sexuality, geography, age, (dis)ability, migration status, religion, etc.)" [from Intersectionality 101]. This means that inequities do not result from the social devaluing of a single identity factor in isolation, but rather from the intersections of different parts of an individual's identity, power relations, and experience. 

Black legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” in her 1989 essay, “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics,” which argues that marginalization and discrimination experienced by a black woman cannot be understood in terms of racism or of sexism considered independently, but must include the interactions. Since its coinage, the concept has been expanded to describe experiences outside of black womanhood, and the general concept is that people experience more than one type of oppression because of their intersecting marginalized identities. The concept of intersectionality is not an abstract idea but a description of the way multiple oppressions are experienced by actual people.

Anti-oppression movements and work must acknowledge and account for intersectional experiences of systemic oppression in order to be both fully inclusive and effective in dismantling systemic barriers to equity.

Further Info

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