Social Privilege Research Articles

Structural Violence: Let`s Face It

Renowned African American essayist, author, and cultural critic James Baldwin (1962) famously reminded us that “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced” (p.11). Learning to face and to name that which is in need of transformation, in need of justice, is in some ways the most difficult aspect of social justice work. This is both because we are trained from an early age not to see those injustices (especially when we occupy positions of social privilege) and because the most profound injustices tend to work at a level just below that which we can readily see, recognize, and name. Perhaps the real power of structural violence (sometimes known as institutional violence) is its very invisibility or its ability to skim along just under the surface of the social and individual consciousness, the way it is inextricably part of the warp and weft of society is such that to recognize the violence inherent in our structures and institutions is to question (and to some minds, threaten) the very foundations of a way of life.

Differential Experiences of Social Distancing: Considering Alienated Embodied Communication and Racism

In this musing we consider how social distancing, the primary public health measure introduced to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, is creating social encounters characterized by a self-and-other-consciousness and an atmosphere of suspicion, leading to what we call “alienated embodied communication.” Whilst interaction rituals dominated by avoidance, fear and distrust are novel for many individuals who occupy positions of social privilege, Black and ethnic minority writers have demonstrated that the alienated bodily communication of COVID-19 social distancing is “nothing new” for people who routinely experience marginalization as a result of racism. Our aim in this musing, then, is to reflect on how on-going experiences of stigma, shame, and marginalization can shape how social distancing is registered on an embodied and existential level, and therefore how social distancing may differentially impact individuals with lived experiences of racism.

Pro-Diversity Beliefs and the Diverse Person’s Burden

Pro-diversity beliefs hold that greater diversity leads to better results in academia, business, politics and a variety of other contexts. This paper explores the possibility that pro-diversity beliefs can generate unfair expectations that marginalized people produce distinctive bonuses, a phenomenon we refer to as the “diverse person’s burden”. We suggest that a normic conception of diversity, according to which non-diversity entails social privilege, together with empirical research on psychological entitlement suggests an explanation of how the diverse person’s burden can arise in many social settings. We also suggest structural and institutional remedies to address the diverse person’s burden, as well as an individual virtue we label positional awareness.

A Critical evaluation of the impacts of “Wasta” on employees and organizations in Qatar

Wasta is an Arabic word (واسطة), with a similar meaning to nepotism in English, which means using someone’s connections or influence to achieve multiple benefits, for example securing a job, speeding up access to government services, gaining exemption from taxes, pushing for fees reduction, favoring transfers and promotions of public servants, and even waiving of traffic fines. It has become deeply rooted in the Middle East culture, especially in Qatar. This study argues that wasta has become a cultural paradox that intersects with classes as a social construction, reinforcing racism, class privilege, and social inequalities among employees in Qatar. This paper is critical as it addresses this threatening issue that has severe consequences on the country’s progress, highlights its root cause, and examines the impact of this social phenomenon. This paper is the first step forward to face the wasta phenomenon in Qatar.

Within-Track Differentiation and Leisure Activities as Strategies of Distinction

The socially inclusive educational expansion during the last few decades in Germany diluted the previous “elite” status of the Gymnasium and its certificate, the Abitur. In the absence of explicit “elite” institutions, unlike the UK, the USA or France, the question remains how social privilege is intergenerationally transferred in times of educational expansion? Several studies on this topic focused on distinction either through horizontal educational differentiation or via distinctive leisure activities. Building on Bourdieu’s theory of distinction and Lareau’s study on child-rearing practices, we argue that it is the set of different strategies of distinction that serves as a mechanism to reproduce privilege. Hence, we ask the question how parents’ and grandparents’ educational background influences the probability of applying a whole set of distinctive strategies. To test our assumptions, we use data from the youth questionnaire of the German Socio-Economic panel and analyse the effect of educational background on the application of distinctive educational strategies and distinctive leisure practices and the combination of both domains. The results indicate three main findings: first, having parents with an academic education increases the probability of applying any of the distinctive strategies under consideration. Second, having academically educated grandparents increases the probability of combining distinctive strategies within one domain. Third, the data do not support the assumption that the combination of curricular and leisure practices is particularly socially stratified.

Skin whitening as a menace to African identity through Tony Morrison's 'The Bluest Eyes': An Afrocentric examination

The African democratic forces, among other things, aimed to resuscitate and re-essentialise African identities that the colonial administration had endangered earlier. These autonomous corps dispensed mechanisms to champion Africanism and conscientise African natives about their heritage. The cherishing of African identities automated decolonial shifts and inculcated an urge into Africans to be proud of who they are and where they come from. Notwithstanding these efforts, the study diagnoses skin whitening as a stubborn nemesis that menaces the authenticity of Africanism in the present day. Many Africans, especially black women appear to be gravitated to skin whitening. This act embraces the attempt to alter one’s dark skin tone to be bright. Most of the skin whiteners are postulated to whiten their skins in an effort to qualify into the modern-day Eurocentric criterions of beauty at the expense of their black (African) identity. This paper employed a qualitative methodology and has relied on secondary data to unveil the extent to which skin whitening imperils African identities. It has employed Morrison’s The Bluest Eyes as a lens to crystalise the impacts of skin whitening on Africanism. The study has discovered that the skin-whitening phenomenon epitomises and perpetuates Eurocentric ideologies and it is preferred by most women because of the assumed glory that comes with the white identity such as social class, privilege, attractiveness, favour, and admiration.

Multiple children in the context of an analysis of the quality of life, satisfaction and further procreative plans of women - cross-sectional study

Introduction: The definition of motherhood is manifold. The responsibilities of motherhood should be considered biologically, psychologically and socially. Conscious motherhood is characterized amongst others by the responsibility of parents for procreative decisions, care for the health, development and safety of the child. In Poland, the model of a woman as mother, who dedicates her life to birthing and raising her offspring, dominates. This has a huge impact on the future functioning of the offspring as citizens of Poland. Materials and method: Study was conducted through a diagnostic survey in a group of 365 women (284 of which are mothers of three or more children, the remaining 81 being mothers of one child). A self-developed survey containing 29 multiple choice questions with a single correct response as well as a standardized assessment tool SWLS- Life Satisfaction Scale E. Diener, R.A. Emmons, R.J. Larson, S. Griffin (adaptation: Z. Juczyński) were used as a research tool. Results: The vast majority of respondents are satisfied with their role as mother (97.1%). Many of the women do not plan to have more children (44.1%). In the respondents' opinion, childbirth is a social privilege of a woman (p<0.05). Mothers of more than one child have definitively declared that having multiple children does not decrease the quality of life of women, is a source of life satisfaction, aids in the fulfillment of societal roles and does not impede professional development (p<0.05). A constant partner, religious beliefs and relations with other women having more than two children are important factors for respondents when deciding to expand their family (p<0.05). Women who have given birth to three or more children have greater life satisfaction as compared to mothers of a single child (p<0.05). Conclusion: Women are happy to be mothers. Motherhood is not a factor hindering their social and private functioning. Women's procreative decisions are influenced by fixed income, formal relationships and religious beliefs. Mothers of large families have greater life satisfaction in comparison to mothers of one child who do not desire more children.

The College Counselor's Guide to Group Psychotherapy by Michele D. Ribeiro Joshua M. Gross Marcée M. Turner (review)

issn 0362-4021 © 2021 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society group, Vol. 45, No. 1, Fall 2021 87 1 Faculty counselor, The City University of New York. Correspondence should be addressed to Alice Shepard, PhD, The City University of New York, 303 5th Avenue, Suite 1909, New York, NY 10016. E-mail: aliceshepardphd@gmail.com. Book Review The College Counselor’s Guide to Group Psychotherapy. Edited by Michele D. Ribeiro, Joshua M. Gross, and Marcée M. Turner. New York: Routledge, 2018, 278 pp. Reviewed by Alice Shepard1 Finding new ways to address college students’ urgent mental health needs is the primary task of campus-based counseling centers. The transition into emerging adulthood occurs during one’s college years (Arnett, 2000) and is a tumultuous time for many students. The College Counselor’s Guide to Group Psychotherapy is a welcome resource. The edited work takes on some of the thorniest realities of group treatment without hesitation. It allows readers to feel both informed and connected to the higher purpose of college mental health counseling. The editors—Michele Ribeiro, Joshua Gross, and Marcée Turner—are longtime colleagues in the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) and are considered experts in the field of group therapy with college students. Together, they crafted this guidebook to increase the use and success of groups. Twenty-five mental health practitioners specializing in group work provide contributions to the text, giving it both breadth and specificity. The guide delivers an overview of the core elements of establishing and running groups, and it supplies the rationale for using group therapy models at the university level. The book is divided into seven sections: “Social Realities,” “Research,” “Ethics,” “Marketing and Preparation ,” “Relational Factors,” “Psycho-Education,” and “What’s Next.” In essence, The College Counselor’s Guide to Group Psychotherapy is both a primer and a catalyst to ensure that group therapy programs are integral to the care of students during their college years. Although all the chapters succeed in deepening the conversation around group 88 shepard work, this review will focus primarily on three chapters in particular: “Racial and Social Justice Implications on the Practice of Group Psychotherapy,” by Michele Ribeiro and Marcée Turner; “Trainee Development in Group Psychotherapy,” by Teyva Zukor; and “The Group Coordinator: Promoting Group Culture by Managing Stages of Program Development,” by Joshua Gross. The reason for highlighting these chapters is that they most clearly demonstrate the editors’ central aims of increasing the relevance, quality, and longevity of group treatment on college campuses. Ribeiro, Gross, and Turner purposefully begin the guidebook with a discussion of how societal issues affect group therapy in college counseling centers. The chapter was written before the murder of George Floyd in 2020 but already several years into the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Ribeiro and Turner argue that colleges are becoming increasingly diverse. To better meet students’ needs, the authors contend that a focus on social justice must become primary in college mental health. “College counseling center group therapists, due to their location within higher education, have the opportunity to be strong advocates for equity within clinical work and larger systems level work” (p. 37). The authors call on college counselors to be proponents for students from disenfranchised and underrepresented groups (p. 37). They demand that those in the counseling field challenge their social privilege and engage in a cultural shift within their organizations (p. 39). If they do so, students from nondominant groups will be seen and included in ways they often are not on the larger campus. In an effort to gain allies, Ribeiro and Turner attest that racism also hurts Whites (p. 38). They argue for college counselors to embrace the concept of intersectionality as a way to subvert embedded and inaccurate socialization processes and transform human connection for the greater good (p. 42). A call to increase social justice awareness is also noticeable in the wider group therapy field. Recently, a special issue of this journal focused on ways to incorporate social justice concerns with group treatment (see Group 43.2–4). Students from marginalized backgrounds come to college counseling centers to seek services and find refuge. Failure to engage in issues pertaining to race, ethnicity , class...

Causal Beliefs for Socioeconomic Status Attainment Scale: Development and Validation

ABSTRACT That individuals attain socioeconomic status (SES) through their own effort and ability, which is a staple pillar of the meritocratic ethos and has been a popular topic of inquiry within social psychology. However, this focus on merit overshadowed other important causal factors that contribute to one’s SES, such as opportunity and chance. This study presents psychometrically validated scales measuring one’s causal beliefs of SES attainment for themselves (agency beliefs) and others (society beliefs). Utilizing a nationally representative sample, participants completed 68 items of causal agency and society beliefs for low and high SES attainment. Through factor analyses, item response theory, and careful item reduction, three subscales and six dimensions measuring (1) merit (effort and ability), (2) opportunity (social connections and privilege), and (3) chance (luck and fate) are introduced for each belief system. Correlation analyses reveal general support for construct validity. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Drones and Decisionmakers: The Paradox of Undergraduate Education for Business in the U.S.

Addressing social and planetary crisis requires altering current business practices and deploying the best possible problem-solving capabilities. Yet, in the United States the system of undergraduate education undermines the needed response. Lower income students who have the most direct experience with business and its impact on society are often educated to function as minimally influential “drones,” in overtly practical, results-oriented programs (often at public institutions). Higher income students with the least direct familiarity with business are educated in elite, usually private, liberal arts colleges that emphasize interdisciplinary connections and critical thinking to be “decision-makers”. This paper describes the historical roots and current characteristics of a segregated educational system—one based on economic and social privilege rather than talent or ability—and suggests possible changes.

Invisibility of Social Privilege to Those Who Have It

Dominant social groups often lack awareness of their own privilege, failing to perceive the extent of discrimination experienced by subordinate groups. We unravel an underlying cognitive process: advantaged social groups suffer from hypocognition—the absence of being schematic—of everyday hassles experienced by non-privileged groups. Right-handers generated fewer handedness-related hassles than left-handers (Study 1). Men generated fewer gender discrimination instances than women, recalled fewer precautions against assault, and showed poorer recognition of gender discrimination examples from a TEDx talk (Studies 2a-2c). Whites generated fewer racial discrimination instances than Blacks and recalled fewer such instances (Studies 3a-3b). Whites also generated fewer discrimination examples than Asians and reacted more slowly when classifying examples as discriminatory (Study 4). Hypocognition of privilege persisted whether privilege was framed as the absence of disadvantages or presence of advantages (Study 5). Whites showed hypocognition whether discrimination was made salient or not, suggesting hypocognition is unlikely fueled by motivated denial (Study 6). After watching a transgender woman describe her discrimination experience living as a woman, both men and women showed increased privilege awareness and discrimination perception (Study 7). Findings suggest that the invisibility of one’s privilege need not solely reflect identity-defensive motivations, but may also stem from cognitive deficits in conceptual knowledge about privilege and discrimination.

Troubling Claims of Normalization: Continuing Stigmas within Michigan’s Medical Cannabis Community

ABSTRACT Cannabis has undoubtedly become more accessible and commonplace in American society, and scholars and laypeople commonly claim it has achieved a normalized status. On the other hand, structural and social stigmas still impact medical and non-medical cannabis users’ everyday lives. This study attempts to restore nuance to the academic debate on cannabis normalization. The primary method used here is focus groups of cannabis patients in Michigan (n = 21), which are occasionally supplemented by key informant interviews. Findings suggest cannabis patients face persistent cannabis-related stigmas and discrimination, even in a post-prohibition state like Michigan. These stigmas create tension for patients in their personal relationships, work environments, and sense of self. Furthermore, experiences of being a cannabis patient vary along the lines of age, gender, race, and occupational status. As such, this study suggests claims of normalization may be premature or symptomatic of social privileges.

Postcolonial pandemic publics: examining social media health promotion in India during the COVID-19 crisis.

SummaryAffordances offered by new media platforms are perceived as revolutionary instruments for removing the inequities of access to health promotion and communication. However, the production and dissemination of health promotional material on digital platforms does not necessarily translate into uniform access across diverse demographics. This article addresses the lacuna when it comes to analyzing Health Promotion initiatives in India, with a specific focus on the governmental publicity carried out on social media during the four phases of COVID-19 national lockdown between 24 March and 31 May 2020. Our intervention examines how governmental social media health promotion in India played a key role in shaping the ‘outbreak narrative’ during the lockdown across different levels of social and economic privilege. Through a combination of quantitative data analysis and qualitative interview methods, this article analyzes the circulation and impact of official publicity in online and offline spaces, during the COVID-19 lockdown in India. Resultant findings allow for a comprehensive assessment of whether such publicity contributed to democratized citizen science discourses: enabling social protection measures for vulnerable majorities or potentially reified the existing privileges of the economically and socially affluent minority. We find that health promotion campaigns during a pandemic must focus on reaching the widest possible audience in the most efficient manner. Specifically, in the Indian context, health promotion through mass-media like Television and Radio, and participatory media platforms needed to be implemented in tandem with new media platforms, to achieve required engagement with vulnerable communities on key health issues.

Was pike on the menu? Exploring the role of freshwater fish in medieval England

Historical sources report that some species of freshwater fish were considered luxury food items in England during the Middle Ages. The high retail price associated with species such as pike, salmon and sturgeon, as well as restrictions of fishing rights on rivers, estuaries and natural and artificial ponds, proves their exclusivity and role as symbols of social privilege. In this work, the zooarchaeological evidence from 11 English sites dated between the 11th and the 15th c. AD is discussed. This paper explores the differences between the ranges of freshwater species recovered from different site types, by looking at specific features that could define these fishes as luxury items: in particular, species selection and fish size are investigated as potentially meaningful variables. The size of fish will be used as an indicator of status and interpreted in view of the increasing phenomenon of fishing from artificial fishponds.

Autoethnography of The Bad Thing

This article offers an account of the author’s experience after being falsely accused online of sexual assault by a former student. More than a chronicle of events, the article serves as a critical, self-reflexive inventory of thoughts and feelings, as the author looks to come to terms with the allegations and their consequences, as well as practice concern for his accuser. More broadly, the essay serves as an inquiry into the complexities of storytelling and self-research, in relation to shame, truth, and social privilege.

Evaluation of OECD Countries with Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods in terms of Economic, Social and Environmental Aspects

Exhausted natural resources and deteriorating ecological balance, together with the social privileges that people expect to have, are proof that the development of countries cannot be reduced to economic development alone. In this respect, this study aimed to evaluate the economic, social and environmental aspects of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Within this scope, the countries were firstly divided into two groups by performing cluster analysis in order to create more homogeneous country groups. Then, 12 criteria, consisting of four economic, four social and four environmental criteria, were determined by considering the literature and expert opinions. The criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) method was used to weight the determined criteria and using the calculated criterion weights, the countries in each cluster were then evaluated with the measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS) method. As a result, the most successful countries in the first cluster were determined as Switzerland, Denmark and Ireland with 68.8%, 62.7% and 62.5% performance scores, respectively. Whereas, the most unsuccessful countries were USA, Canada and Australia with 49.8%, 50.0% and 50.1% performance scores, respectively. The most successful countries in the second cluster were found as Slovenia, Spain and Portugal with 65.9%, 65.5% and 64.5% performance scores, while the most unsuccessful countries were Turkey, Chile and Colombia with 45.9%, 55.4% and 55.9% performance scores, respectively. Finally, in order to test the sensitivity of the MARCOS method, the solution was repeated with the MAIRCA, WASPAS, MABAC and CoCoSo methods using the weights obtained by the CRITIC method. A high correlation (greater than 80%) was found between the rankings acquired using the other methods and the rankings obtained by the MARCOS method.

Good Intentions Aren’t Good Enough

In recent years, the industry of international service learning has become highly commodified, in both the private and corporate sector, with half-hearted attempts by companies to give tourists an “authentic” and “transformative” experience, without really asking what these words mean. Most notably, there has been a boom in higher education for students to participate in such projects, and with the rise of short term and long term service-learning programs, there becomes the need for accountability and consistency to ensure rigor. This article details the action research study I conducted over the course of 2 years that culminated in a curriculum designed to educate faculty as they consider taking on the intercultural, pedagogical and logistical challenges of building an international service-learning partnership. This curriculum developed as a solution to problems and concerns about faculty approaches at one school, and this essay uses journal excerpts and discussion to follow the timeline of my own growing awareness of that problem. Included is my involvement in two service learning programs as a student and eventually my role in a committee created to revamp the programs at a small New England university. The findings from this process can support other programs that are looking to review their projects for sustainability and alignment with moral ethics, and examine how they improve learning of social media, intercultural communication, power, and privilege.

NEW CONDITION STRUCTURE IN KAZAKH SOCIETY: MERCHANT AND THEIR SOCIAL AND LEGAL FEATURES

The article deals with changes in Kazakh society during the reign of the Russian Empire in the XIX century. Justifying the problem of forming a new class structure in Kazakh society, the author defines the socio-economic conditions of the formation of merchant guilds. The role of trade, entrepreneurship, and urban growth in the transformation of merchants into large entrepreneurs is revealed. Legal documents reflecting social and legal privileges of merchant guilds are analyzed. Attention is drawn to the role of Tatar merchants in the development of local trade and economic relations. Using statistical data, the quantitative growth of the merchant class in individual regions is analyzed.

PECULIARITIES OF RESOURCE PROVISION OF SOCIAL PROTECTION OF THE POPULATION OF UKRAINE

On the way to decentralization in order to achieve the goals of territorial development and local needs, local authorities can not do without having complete and comprehensive information on the full range of local resources and their effective management. Considering the resource potential of the region as a set of the whole range of resources that are formed in a given area and can be used in the process of socio-economic development and characterized by saturation of factors of production (natural resources, labor, fixed assets, infrastructure, etc.) and intangible factors, it is clear that it is a prerequisite for the implementation of development programs in the region. For the most part, the resource provision of the process of implementation of socio-economic development programs of the region is reduced to financial support, but in order to achieve the goals of such development, the use of non-monetary resources is no less important.The article identifies the components of resource provision of social protection at the local level, including: economic resources (financial and logistical); regulatory resources (regulatory framework, methodology); administrative resource; innovation resource; information resource. Problematic aspects of resource provision are outlined, among which: insufficient financing and low efficiency of budget funds use; lack of interest in finding additional sources of income; too extensive system of social benefits and privileges; disunity of institutions providing social services; insufficient integration and decentralization of services; low innovation of the sphere; insufficient use of information resources. Tools for improving the management of social protection resources are proposed.

A qualitative examination of othering processes within international nursing placements

BackgroundInternational placements represent a popular choice to develop cultural competency and safety in nursing. The question as to whether study abroad programs enable the development of cultural competency and safety skills or provide exotic travel experiences needs further clarifications. ObjectiveThe study explores the usefulness of international placements in developing cultural safety among undergraduate nursing students. DesignAn exploratory qualitative design was used to answer these research questions: 1) How do undergraduate students make sense of their study abroad experiences? And 2) How international placements facilitate the acquisition of cultural safety and consciousness-raising about racial and social privileges? ParticipantsA sample of 7 participants who completed a 4th-year community and acute care stages in Global South countries were recruited. MethodsA postcolonial feminist theoretical approach was used to guide the study. Data collectionSemi-structured interviews explored participants' perceptions of cultural differences, ways of adapting to cultural diversity, and the benefits and challenges of their global experiences. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data. ResultsThematic analysis revealed three themes: 1) Self-knowledge, 2) othering, and 3) consciousness of neocolonialism. DiscussionResults raise some concerns about the usefulness of international stages in developing cultural competency and cultural safety in undergraduate nursing students. Results indicate that international placements can be useful to raise consciousness about racial and social privileges. Yet, international placements involve some risks to the receiving Global South countries. This study unmasks Othering's processes, where participants reproduce harmful neocolonial relations. ConclusionsInternational placements involve cultural risks that translate into Othering processes where Global South nurses and students are represented as powerless. Postcolonial feminist theories are relevant to study international placements as they enable the critical examination of race, gender, and social class and how they play out in international placements in Global South countries.