OppressionFashionable Sociology

Why am I listening to thisHeaps of debates are about messages in

society and how different actors shape them

This seminar is about how to think about the way messages and ideas interact in modern society

It’s basically a look at sociological theory in debating

How does Oppression Work?Society subtly influences our beliefs about the

world through a whole variety of means Education Images Political Rhetoric Attitudes

We refer to the way this influence is exerted as “discourse”

Oppression MechanismsExpectations

We have a particular idea about how a woman/gay person/black person ought to behave

Identity We associate more with people with whom we share

a sense of community

Hierarchy We implicitly see some identities as better or worse

or more or less threatening

Backlash Threat to power, fear of change

These structures are maintained because members of minority groups have less power in discourses

Their voices are ignored

Their voices are actively shut out

They lack the means to access a voice

What are the consequences of oppression?Expectations are internalised

Expectations are policed

How can we change identity and attitudes?• Authority

• Self-interest/cognitive dissonance

• Changes in the engagement that people have with minorities

• Changes in the images people see

• Changes in the power of institutions that propagate narratives

• Childhood messages

Application to DebatesThink about how narratives change, and how

the model is an example of that

Compare different mechanisms for change and think about which ones might be stronger than others

Making an Oppression ArgumentOutline an oppression mechanism

Expectations Identity Hierarchy Backlash

Explain why the model is better/worse for the mechanism

Or, use it to characterise