The Concept of Privilege: A Critical Appraisal

Authors

Michael Monahan, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

11 p.

Publication Date

2014

Publisher

Philosophical Society of South Africa

Source Publication

South African Journal of Philosophy

Source ISSN

0258-0136

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1080/02580136.2014.892681

Abstract

In this essay, I examine the use of the concept of privilege within the critical theoretical discourse on oppression and liberation (with a particular focus on white privilege and antiracism in the USA). In order to fulfill the rhetorical aims of liberation, concepts for privilege must meet what I term the ‘boundary condition’, which demarcates the boundary between a privileged elite and the rest of society, and the ‘ignorance condition’, which establishes that the elite status and the advantages it confers are not publicly recognised or affirmed. I argue that the dominant use of the concept of privilege cannot fulfill these conditions. As a result, while I do not advocate for the complete abandonment of the rhetoric of privilege, I conclude that it obscures as much as it illuminates, and that the critical theoretical discourse on liberation and oppression should be suspicious of its use.

Comments

Accepted version. South African Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 33, No. 1 (2014): 73-83. Permalink. © 2014 Taylor& Francis. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Monahan, Michael, "The Concept of Privilege: A Critical Appraisal" (2014). Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications. 410.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/phil_fac/410