Undoing Privilege: Unearned Advantage in a Divided World

For every group that is oppressed, one or more other groups are privileged in relation to it. In Undoing Privilege, Bob Pease argues that privilege, as the other side of oppression, has been given insufficient attention in both critical theories and in the practices of social change. As a result, dominant groups have been allowed to reinforce their dominance. Undoing Privilege explores each of the main sites of privilege, from Western dominance, class elitism and white and patriarchal privilege to the less well examined sites of heterosexual and able-bodied privilege, examining the interconnections between them. The book's analysis points out that while the vast majority of people may be oppressed on at least one form of stratification, many are also privileged on another. Pease also demonstrates that members of privileged groups can develop a self-critical engagement with their own dominant position, and explores both the potential and the limitations of such individuals becoming allies against oppression and their own unearned privilege.This is an essential book for all of those who are concerned about developing theories and practices for a socially just world.