Image provided by opensource.com and used courtesy of a creative commons license
In her overview video, Professor Indigo Young from IHP’s department of Communications and Speech Disorders (CSD) and IHP Alum, talks about societal power structures and how they matter for the health professions.
Power*
The individual (power within), collective (power with), or institutional (power over) ability to be or act in ways which fulfill our desires. These desires can be positive, but they can also be used to hurt, dominate, or oppress others
Privilege*
Refers to the unearned resources, advantages, control, normative status, access to services, opportunities, and other forms of power that members belonging to a dominant group automatically have because of their identity. People who experience privilege are not exempt from experiencing hardships, but do not experience structural prejudices that limit their advancement. produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment and outcomes for all people.
Positionality*
Race is only one aspect of an individual's identity that is relevant in discussing oppression. Positionality refers to the many social identities (affinities, values, norms) an individual possesses.
Intersectionality
The complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination and privilege combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups. Intersectionality applies to social identities and all aspects of life.
*definitions for power, privilege, and positionality come from CARED (Calgary Anti-racism Education)
There are dimensions to our identities, some that we are more aware of and some that we are not. There are pitfalls to having society or even personally ascribing ourselves singular identities. The Social Identity Wheel is a tool that can help us think about multiple aspects of our identities.
