While Darwin may not have entered our lives until high school, we are taught the concept of the survival of the fittest at a young age. We become knowledgeable of the ideas of power and dominance through games on the playground, and social groups in high school. However, people do not think about these ideas of how our society functions with these activities alone. We develop our understanding of intersectionality and its relation to power by comparing our own circumstances with others. In my case, I believe my own understanding of our society came from my experience as a student in Japan.
Ever since I was a child, I have had the privilege to go to Japan annually because of my father’s work. Although the duration of these trips were around two weeks on average, there was a time eleven years ago that I had stayed in Japan for two months. During these two months, my mother had decided to sign me up to attend a Japanese elementary school. Here, I would experience school as my mother had, and pick up on a little more Japanese than I did at home. Surprisingly, what I learned was not limited to
Until this point, I had never questioned my role as a girl. I accepted the heterosexist beliefs that all girls liked boys, and boys liked girls, and that we were associated with being cute and liking cute things. This was likely because my role as a girl in North America was never explicitly stated, only enforced indirectly through attitudes and the media. In Japan, these gender roles were a bit more explicit. Products, school uniforms, and even some activities were more gendered than in Canada. I remember at one point I had spoken out about something I felt was wrong, and was told by another classmate that I was unlike Japanese girls because I was more outspoken than they were, just as the Japanese boys
Beasley, W. G. The Japanese experience: a short history of Japan. Los Angeles: Berkeley, 1999.
Reid, who knows Japanese and has studied things Asian for many years, lived in a Japanese community, sent his children to an excellent Japanese public school and learned to put up cheerfully with his Japanese neighbors' codified concerns. ''The Japanese,'' he happily notes, ''are people who love rules.'' Written with grace, knowledge and humor, his book is a sympathetic Baedeker to the Japanese way of life. It is well worth reading for that. Not many foreigners have been able to fit in so well with their neighbors. His explanations of modern Japan and its Confucian background ar...
Currently, in our society we can see an increase in inequality and discrimination towards different people. Unfortunately, the American ideology does not take into account the diversity that exists in the country. The lack of an educational perspective that includes all people regardless of gender, race, sex, religion and social class is vitally important to take into account not just those people who meet the “normal” perspectives imposed by society, but also take in consideration those who don’t necessarily meet the social expectations. It could be said that intersectionality is a tool which helps us to analyze and defend multiple discriminations and above all to understand how different factors influence the rights and opportunities that
I will attempt to clarify intersectionality. Above all else you have to comprehend what intersectionality is. Intersectionality is a hypothetical structure which clarifies savagery or oppression people. Presently I will give you an illustration and after that endeavor to interface it to intersectionality. I will utilize a case of cobweb to clarify this hypothesis. This case will give you some thought regarding intersectionality. Consider a bug catching network. A Point in the middle and all strings associated with each other. In the event that we expel one string from the bug catching network, it will go into disrepair. Presently view yourself as. You have a few personalities and these characters are associated quite recently like cobweb and
The identities have tended to be divided into some different categories, such as gender, race, and class, and these sources have been judged in the different ways. In other words, the different determinant factors of the individuality have been considered separately, and these components have been regarded as a unrelated simple category. Under these points of view, however, it is hard to recognize the problems of interrelated individual component of the identity. Thus, to solve the disregarding crossover point, the new theory of the “intersectionality” are essential. This essay explores the key definition of the “intersectionality” from the viewpoint of gender studies, and how the concept is connected with the social system and individual identity
The theory of intersectionality is a very important concept when analysing the many different obstacles an individual may face throughout their life time. It takes into consideration that an individual is identified by many different labels rather than by their gender alone. Through the analysis of historical texts and extensive knowledge of activists and authors on the topic, Hunter College women’s and Gender Studies collective and Joan Simalchik (2016) is able to provide insight on the importance of intersectionality in studying identity markers and social categories when considering the many obstacles an individual may face through relations of power and privilege, multiple identities, and intersections of oppression.
Most American citizens remember December 7, 1941 and the significance that the incidents of that day had. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a shock to the United States of America and it engaged our country in the Second World War of that century (Pearl, 2009). Unfortunately, due to that incident, many Americans harbor many negative feelings and attitudes towards the country of Japan. While this is an understandable sentiment, it is unnecessary, because Japan is an influence on not on the United States but the entire world. Throughout this paper, we will look at the country of Japan as many have never viewed them before. Their actions of the past are just that, the past. Japan is a thriving and successful country within our environment and it is in our best interest to understand that country better. Japan, as a culture, is the
As I reflect back on my childhood years, and utilizing a Critical Race Study lens, I can see both positive and negative aspects of my early onset experiences. In this paper, I will focus on both the negative and positive aspects of Internalized oppression/racism, as well as, identifying experiences in my life in which I was considered ‘privileged’ and how my different intersectionalities shaped and molded my views in my current helping profession role.
Intersectionality can be better understood as a way in which we use race, class, and gender simultaneously in order to better understand privilege and oppression. Throughout history, our society has tried to separate people based on their race, class, sexual orientation, education, and gender. In doing so, we force these individuals to choose one identity over the other. When using an intersectional approach to understand who we are in an unequal social system, we can better understand ourselves as both the oppressor and the oppressed in regard to privilege (Hill-Collins). Hill-Collins continues to illustrate that our thoughts and actions play a distinct role in determining someone else’s subordination. Personally as a white and Jewish female, using an intersectional approach helps me to recognize situations where I am either privileged or oppressed within society.
Intersectionality was one of the greatest concepts this course shed light on, intersectionality is can be broadly defined as the coming together of various social groups to work together to fight against forms of oppression. In the conceptual frameworks portion of the book Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, they talk about the importance of privileged identities and disadvantaged identities coming together to work towards solving a particular issue. While before taking this course I was somewhat aware of the various forms of oppression, I never gave much thought to how I could help combat forms of oppression that I did not necessarily experience with my own identity.
Not only have I formally studied two foreign languages, but as an undergraduate, I devoted a spring break to sampling theatre, literature, and the arts in England; worked extra shifts at the Writing Center to spend fall break in Mexico; spent three weeks of summer vacation engrossed in the history and social philosophy of China; and finally, this semester 's yoga and meditation classes will culminate in a trip to study religion and philosophy in India during Christmas break. These sporadic samplings have left me yearning to completely immerse myself in a foreign country, absorbing its culture as a citizen and not merely a visitor. Knowing that a reputable organization like JET will support me both in the United States and Japan will allow me to approach every fascinating, baffling, frustrating, amazing, and unequivocally exciting experience in Japan with the same fervor and clarity I employ in every facet of my education—and my life. I realize that the road ahead is full of challenges, but with more determination and ambition I have ever known, I am
Western Washington University (2011). US / Japan culture comparison. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from www.wwu.edu/auap/english/gettinginvolved/CultureComparison.shtml
I was criticized for minor things like getting my clothes dirty or refusing to stay still to get my hair done. These comments grew more and more frustrating as I got older and eventually became far more critical with references to how I played, the clothes I chose to wear, and even being told I was too loud and that my interests weren’t normal. When me and my grandmother went to visit other family member’s I would always be asked questions that seemed entirely inappropriate to me as a small child like whether or not I had a crush or a boyfriend but I noticed no one ever asked my male cousins these questions as though their value wasn’t based solely on their ability to attract the opposite sex. My disinterest in things like hair and make-up led to me falling behind my peers when it came to matters of appearance. While other girls were discussing their extensive morning routines I was showering and shoving my unruly hair up into a ponytail. This also meant that I was falling behind when it came to personal relationships as my female friends were discovering boys, boys were treating me like an anomaly. I was consistently asked if I was a lesbian
Everyone who was a male in my family was kinda on the same boat when it came to acting like a man. We learned from each other the ways of manhood. But as i recall the times i came close to to those contradictory influences was out of pure curiosity. I am a curious kid by nature. I am interested in the world around, in anything and everything. So, when my cousins who were females would come around, I would engage in some of their girly activities not knowing it was frown upon for boys to do that. One event that marked a significant transition in my gender identity happened about a few months ago. Well lets say I wasn 't the most ideal figure of man. I was really quiet, I spoke as if i was whispering and I was antisocial. I would also complain a lot if things didn 't go my way. It wasn 't till that fateful night of me almost giving up volleyball, two weeks of completing over life and an influential speech from my good friend Greg Scott that i realize that all the stuff I am doing is not going to fly past in the real world. So I pledge to make a change to myself. I pledge to be stronger, talk more, be more confident and more social and here we are
In elementary school one of the most common phrase used was, “You can’t do that you're a girl.” Society puts gender stereotypes and expectations on children at a very young age. I never really understood these stereotypes and expectations until later in my life. I couldn’t figure out why it was that boys were not allowed to like the color pink, and if the girls wanted to play “boy” sports it was seen as unusual. My family consists of my parents, my sister and I; so I never had sibling of the opposite gender in my life. I didn’t have someone to compare gender differences with. I was given toys no matter what gender they were geared towards. I remember receiving hot wheels cars and baby dolls the same year for Christmas and never thought anything thing of it. I think that these experiences has really shaped who I am today.