Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Reduced Inequalities pp 1–11Cite as

Dimensions and Causes of Systemic Oppression

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Synonyms

Institutional oppression; Internalized oppression; Structural oppression

Definition

Systemic oppression (SO) is about the permanent subordination, humiliation, and domination of certain social groups due to their socially constructed lower position in society on account of the socially constructed higher position of the oppressing groups. It often happens covertly, invisible, and without any bad intention, which indicates the ordinariness of steady oppression and points to the fact that it is systemically ingrained: If nobody is able to see oppression, how deeply are we concerned by it? Other forms of oppression are more overt and more intentional and can be linked to forms of violence and discrimination. SO is based on the (socially constructed) belief that some groups in society are less valuable than other groups because of their attachment to certain categories, like gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, and age.

Introduction

The following entry discusses...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Barker RC (2003) The social work dictionary, 5th edn. NASW Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell LA, Funk MS, Joshi KY, Valdivia M (2016) Racism and white privilege. In: Adams M, Bell LA, Goodman DJ, Joshi KY (eds) Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice, 3rd edn. Routledge, New York, pp 133–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Blum L (2020) ‘Black Lives Matter’: moral frames for understanding the police killing of black males. In: Amaya A, Del Mar M (eds) Virtue, emotion and imagination in law and legal reasoning. Hart Publishing, Oxford/New York, pp 121–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Bohmer S, Briggs JL (1991) Teaching privileged students about gender, race and class oppression. Teach Soc 19(2):154–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brynin M (2017) The gender pay gap. In: Equality and human rights commission, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheney C, LaFrance J, Quinteros T (2006) Institutionalized Oppression Definitions (PDF). https://www.pcc.edu/illumination/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2018/05/institutionalized-oppression definitions.pdf. Accessed 28 May 2020

  • Collins PH (1989) The social construction of black feminist thought. Signs 14(4):745–773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins PH (2000) Black feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Correll J, Park B, Judd C, Wittenbrink B (2002) The police officer’s dilemma: using ethnicity to disambiguate potentially hostile individuals. J Pers Soc Psychol 83:1314–1329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crethar HC, Dermer SB (2005) Understanding the role of privilege in empowerment. Paper presented at the annual spring conference of the Illinois Association of Multicultural Couseling; the Illinois Association for Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling; and Illinois Counselors for Social Justice, Chicago Heights, April 2005

    Google Scholar 

  • De Beauvoir S (1949) La Deuxième Sexe, 2nd edn. Gallimard, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Degele N, Winker G (2009) Intersektionalität. Zur Analyse sozialer Ungleichheit. Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld

    Google Scholar 

  • Dermer SB, Smith SD, Barto KK (2010) Identifying and correctly labeling sexual prejudice, discrimination, and oppression. J Couns Dev 88:325–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deutsch M (2006) A framework for thinking about oppression and its change. Soc Justice Res 19(1):7–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson SJ (ed) (2015) Race, gender, sexuality & social class. Dimensions of inequality and identity, 2nd edn. Sage, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritsche I, Jonas E, Ablasser C, Beyer M, Kuban J, Manger AM, Schultz M (2013) The power of we: evidence for group-based control. J Exp Soc Psychol 49:19–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaynor TS (2018) Social construction and the criminalization of identity: state-sanctioned oppression and an unethical administration. Public Integr 20:358–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geddes, Grosset (2010) Webster universal dictionary & thesaurus. Geddes & Grosset, Glasgow

    Google Scholar 

  • Glasberg DS, Shannon D (2011) Political sociology: oppression, resistance, and the state. Sage, Los Angeles/London/New Delhi/Singapore/Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomolla M, Radtke FO (2009) Institutionelle Diskriminierung. Die Herstellung ethnischer Differenz in der Schule, 3rd edn. Springer Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenwald A (2003) Targets of discrimination: effects of race on responses to weapons holders. J Exp Soc Psycholog 39:399–405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harvey J (1999) Civilized oppression. Rowman & Littlefield, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Hormel U, Scherr A (2004) Bildung für die Einwanderungsgesellschaft. Perspektiven der Auseinandersetzung mit struktureller, institutioneller und interaktioneller Diskriminierung. Springer Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden

    Google Scholar 

  • Kautzky-Willer A, Tschachler E (2012) Gesundheit: Eine Frage des Geschlechts: Die weibliche und die männliche Seite der Medizin. Orac, Wien

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraus MW, Piff PK, Keltner D (2011) Social class as culture: the convergence of resources and rank in the social realm. Curr Dir Psycholog Sci 20(4):246–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicaise I, Schokaert I, Bircan T (2019) The uncounted poor in EU-SILC: a statistical profile of the income and living conditions of homeless people, undocumented immigrants and travellers in Belgium. In: Gaisbauer HP, Schweiger G, Sedmak C (eds) Absolute poverty in Europe. Interdisciplinary perspectives on a hidden phenomenon. Policy Press, Bristol, pp 73–96

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Dowd MF (2020) Explainer: what is systemic racism and institutional racism? https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-systemic-racism-and-institutional-racism-131152. Accessed 28 May 2020

  • Ortner SB (1974) Is female to male as nature is to culture? In: Rosaldo MZ, Lemphere L (eds) Woman, culture, and society. Stanford University Press, Stanford, pp 68–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Rendtorff B (2006) Erziehung und Geschlecht. Eine Einführung. In: Helsper W, Kade J, Lüders C, Radtke FO (eds) Grundriss der Pädagogik/Erziehungswissenschaft, vol 30. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheller A (1995) Frau – Macht – Raum. Geschlechtsspezifische Regionalisierungen der Alltagswelt als Ausdruck von Machtstrukturen. Anthropogeographische Schriftenreihe, vol 16. Geographisches Institut Universität Zurich, Zurich

    Google Scholar 

  • Shih M, Bonam C, Sanchez D, Peck C (2007) The social construction of race: biracial identity and vulnerability to stereotypes. Cult Divers Ethn Minor Psychol 13(2):125–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stage Left Productions Workshop for Canada World Youth: oppression and privilege framework. https://acgc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Oppression-and-Privilege-Framework.pdf. Accessed 1 June 2020

  • Taylor E (2016) Groups and oppression. Hypatia 31(3):520–536

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ugiagbe E, Eweka H (2014) Systemic oppression and rights of the minorities: discourse of the reflections on Nigerian society. Mediterr J Soc Sci 5(4):516–528

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (1948) Universal declaration of human rights. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Documents/UDHR_Translations/eng.pdf. Accessed 4 June 2020

  • United Nations (2015) Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainabl%20Development%20web.pdf. Accessed 4 June 2020

  • Walby S (2007) Complexity theory, systems theory, and multiple intersecting social inequalities. Philosoph Soc Sci 37(4):449–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber L (1998) A conceptual framework for understanding race, class, gender, and sexuality. Psychol Women Q 22:13–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamato G (1995) Something about the subject makes it hard to name. In: Anderson ML, Collins PH (eds) Race, class, and gender, 5th edn. Thomson/Wadsworth, New York, pp 99–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Young IM (1988) Five faces of oppression. The Philosoph Forum 19(4):270–290

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

    Susanne Liedauer

  2. International Research Centre for Social Ethics (ifz), Salzburg, Austria

    Susanne Liedauer

Authors
  1. Susanne Liedauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susanne Liedauer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience & Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Amanda Lange Salvia

  5. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

  6. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. Centre for Sustainable Development (Greens), University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Florianopolis, SC, Brazil

    José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Liedauer, S. (2021). Dimensions and Causes of Systemic Oppression. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Özuyar, P.G., Wall, T. (eds) Reduced Inequalities. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71060-0_91-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71060-0_91-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71060-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71060-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation