A preliminary set of thoughts on the elusive notion of power - both as an expression of agency, and as a reflection of structure, concluding with an appeal to the primacy of Love...
Among the challenges we encounter in our public conversations is a welter of confusion around crucial terms which, though widely used, are rarely defined... or at least rarely defined explicitly. The consequence is a situation where rather than aiding progress in conversation, they frequently impede it. This is one effort to encourage remedy of this impasse by at least approaching the definition of some of these terms...
Showing posts with label Power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Power. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2016
Approaching Definitions - What is Gender?
In this reflection, we briefly recapitulate the broadly accepted notion that sex is a reflection of biology, gender social construction, but turn quickly to the suggestion of Judith Butler that even this seemingly uncontroversial couching of the matter is problematic. Perhaps the body itself is far more the outcome of a constructed process than is immediately obvious? Certainly, turning our thoughts in the direction of this analysis, we are led to look at identity itself in a different, dramatically different light.
Labels:
Cis,
Class,
Existentialism,
Feminism,
Gay,
Gender,
Homosexuality,
identity,
Judith Butler,
LGBT,
Michel Foucault,
Phenomenology,
Power,
Queer,
Sex,
Sexuality,
Simone de Beauvoir,
Transexuality
Approaching Definitions - What is Class?
In this video, we take up the question of class, which flows readily enough out of our previous discussions of capitalism and socialism. Class, or the segmentation of a community, can unfold in various ways, or, according to different 'critera', whether they be economic, racial, ethnic or gendered in aspect. It becomes of import for us though as what accompanies that segmentation is a differential attribution of power that translates into an iniquity which is at odds with egality as a cardinal human value. This maldistribution is often masked by an appeal to 'necessities', but is ultimately the outcome of consensus, and thus amenable to to change. In fact, it is imperative that we work to move to such a change.
Labels:
Capitalism,
Class,
Classism,
Communism,
Ethinicity,
Feminism,
Foucault,
Gender,
Power,
Race,
Racism,
Socialism
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)