Abstract
In this paper, my purpose is to provide a framework for thinking about oppression and how to overcome it. Oppression is, I believe, at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. The paper is divided into the following sections. The first considers the value premise underlying my use of the term ‘oppression’ (4.2). The second is a discussion of the nature of oppression (4.3). The third addresses the question, “What forms does oppression take?” (4.4). The fourth asks, “What keeps oppression in place?” (4.5). The fifth addresses the awakening of the sense of injustice (4.6). The sixth provides a discussion of the strategies and tactics for overcoming oppression, which often involve violent conflict with groups in power (4.7). In the final section of my paper, I will discuss some nonviolent strategies and tactics for overcoming oppression (4.8). My discussion will not focus on the different contexts in which oppression occurs, such as the family, work, education, and between ethnic, religious, and racial groups. There is an excellent discussion of the different contexts of oppression in the book, Social Inequality (Neckerman 2004), which presents extensive empirical data about inequality in various contexts.
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Notes
- 1.
This text was first published as: Deutsch, M. (2006). A Framework for Thinking about Oppression and Its Change. Social Justice Research, 19(1), 7–41. Print ISSN: 0885-7466, Online ISSN: 1573-6725 Permission to republish this text was granted by Springer Permissions in Heidelberg on 11 November 2014.
- 2.
An earlier version of this paper, entitled “Oppression and Conflict,” was presented as a plenary address at the Annual meeting of the International Society of Justice Research in Skovde, Sweden on June 17, 2002. This paper was the starting point of an ongoing, informal seminar on social justice held at Teachers College, Columbia University. The other participants in the seminar included Peter Coleman, Michelle Fine, Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Janet Gerson, Eric Marcus, Susan Opotow, Ellen Raider, Esther Salomon, Janice Steil, and Melissa Sweeney. From the discussions of theory, research, and practice during the meetings of the seminar, emerged plans for a Conference on Interrupting Oppression and Sustaining Justice. Its aim was to stimulate interaction about overcoming oppression among scholars from different academic fields, social and political activists, and graduate students in different disciplines. The Conference took place on February 27 and 28, 2004 at Teachers College. This issue of Social Justice Research presents some papers that were prepared before the Conference (and revised afterwards) and some that emerged from the Conference. Other papers from the Conference can be found under the heading of IO & SJ at the website of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution of Teachers College: <http://www.tc.edu/icccr/>.
- 3.
Also, it should be noted that the social science literature on “quality-of-life” and “subjective well-being” indicates that there is a low contribution, beyond the poverty level, of greater income to subjective well-being in advanced economies (Kahneman et al. 1999; Lane 2000). The oppressors’ drive for superior wealth, accompanied by conspicuous consumption, often impairs social relations, a key component of subjective well-being.
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Deutsch, M. (2015). A Framework for Thinking About Oppression and Conflict. In: Morton Deutsch: A Pioneer in Developing Peace Psychology. SpringerBriefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice, vol 30. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15440-4_4
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