On the Possibility of Communicating: Feminism and Social Position

Abstract

This article sorts out some of the theoretical dilemmas related to issues of identity, difference, and location that have arisen on the horizon of critical and cultural communication studies in the past few decades. Tracing the origins of the belief in the epistemological significance of social position to early criticaltheorists, it explores the further development of this concept in feminist scholarship. Using the feminist struggle with standpoint epistemology as an example, this work explores some of the dangers associated with the assumption that membership in a subordinated group affords one privileged knowledge about oppression, and critically examines the practical difficulties of applying a theoretically sophisticated understanding of the role of social position to politically grounded research.

Culturally Competent Feminist Social Work

“…We suggest that models of culturally competent social work practice should be regularly reviewed by members of disenfranchised groups for relevance and congruence with their lived experiences. This suggestion has support from theorists (Daniel, 2007;Darling-Wolf, 2004;Finn & Jacobson, 2003;Freire & Macedo, 2001;Harding, 2004;Kincheloe & McLaren, 2000;Swigonski, 1994), who have discussed the need to test and refine theories on the basis of the stories shared by people from a broad range of identities and groups. Students, researchers, and practitioners at all levels of social work are encouraged to acknowledge the limits of their cultural competence and seek opportunities to determine whether their assumptions and assertions are indeed reflective of the individuals and groups they serve (Gentlewarrior, Martin-Jearld, Sweetser, Skok, & Langevin, in press).…”

“…advocating, and educating efforts to be informed by the voices and experiences of those who are oppressed (Daniel, 2007;Darling-Wolf, 2004;Finn & Jacobson, 2003;Freire & Macedo, 2001;Harding, 2004;Kincheloe & McLaren, 2000;Manias & Street, 2000;Solorzano & Yosso, 2001;Swigonski, 1994;Villalpando, 2004). Although these theories may differ regarding the oppression that they emphasize in their discussions, all agree that the hegemonic construction of reality privileges a few at the expense of many.…”

Understanding Social Class as Identity

“…While social class standing may be inherited, we are not born knowing the traits of any one specific social class. Individuals learn these traits and make sense of themselves through communication (Darling‐Wolf, ). We are informed of particular characteristics of a social class from our everyday interactions with people that are closest to us and from the larger community and society in which we are engaged.…”

Values, Meanings, and Positionalities: The Controversial Valuation of Water in Rio de Janeiro

“…Positionality, according to Butler (1997), is the collapse of specificities, multiple points of view, interactive technologies, and human differentials. That is also related to the concept of`standpoint epistemologies' used by feminist authors as a means of exploring the impacts of social constructions of gender on the production of knowledge (Darling-Wolf, 2004). For the feminist, positionality describes situated positions from which subjects, such as teachers and researchers, come to know the world (Chacko, 2004).…”