6.6 Going Deeper
Elizabeth B. Pearce
Now that you know more about how representation and belonging can affect families, this page has some resources for you.
First, there is a list of resources that the authors used while writing this chapter but could not fit into the main part of the book. If there was something that really piqued your interest and made you want to learn more, it may be listed in this table. This is also a resource for students who may have an assignment to research a particular topic or who need to identify a topic for a final project. Scan through “Want to Learn More?” if you are interested.
Next, you will see a set of reflective questions. You may be assigned these questions as a chapter review, or perhaps you will be using them as discussion questions in class. These questions are designed to help you apply the chapter concepts, develop your sociological imagination, reflect, and use an equity lens. Look over the “Reflective Questions” if you’d like to explore your own thinking more thoroughly.
After that, you will see the same list of key terms that appeared at the start of the chapter. They may help you with your additional exploration or research.
Finally, some chapters include activities that the instructor may use in the classroom.
Want to Learn More?
- The official government census website is continually updated as more data are processed. Check here for the most recent information.
- REVUP (Register, Educate, Vote, Use Your Power) works to increase the voting participation of people with disabilities. If you are interested in REVUP’s work, click here.
Reflective Questions
- Reflect on the significance of representation as it relates to belonging and equity in your own experience.
- What is the purpose of the census? What are some of the challenges related to counting every person in the United States?
- What formal processes exist in the United States for the representation of all families? Which of these processes have you or your family participated in?
- What contributes to some families being represented less frequently in social processes such as voting, being elected, and participating in the census? What are the barriers to participation? What institutional changes could be made to increase participation?
- How is representation linked with equity?
- Reflect on the readings and your own experience with social movements, such as the Feminist or the Black Lives Matter movements. How do these movements affect families and society?
- How are representation and belonging linked? Consider the discussions of belonging in Chapter 5 and in this chapter.
- What institutional changes to increase participation and equity in social processes would you recommend?
Key Terms
- Allies: a person who forms relationships with and advocates with or for others who are marginalized but do not have that marginalized identity themselves.
- American Community Survey (ACS): a program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that gathers demographic information annually in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
- Black feminist critiques: a body of critical and creative work written by Black women in the United States regarding feminism and how it often ignores racism and class oppression.
- Disenfranchisement: the state of being rejected or being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote.
- Feminist movement: a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms regarding sex and gender equity, women’s issues, and sexism.
- Representation: the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way.
- Social movement: a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a social goal, such as carrying out change or resisting or undoing the status quo.
- U.S. Census: a population census that takes place every 10 years and is legally mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
- Voter registration: the process whereby citizens register with election officials in order to become eligible to vote.
Activity: Power and Belonging Analysis
In the first six chapters of this text, you have seen an emphasis on how social identities affect individual and family outcomes. This chapter, in particular, emphasizes how those identities affect our feelings of belonging and being included in society. Watch the 12-minute “Social Identities” video in figure 6.24. This video helps pull together the concepts of social identities, intersectionality, and social location.
https://youtu.be/kBvQGLmFuaQ?si=qeI1t-078hGrgr9L
Reflection Questions
- The video’s authors describe their internal characteristics, including their motivations, values, and beliefs. How would you describe your own?
- Describe your understanding of the similarities and differences between race, ethnicity, and culture.
- The video’s authors describe their roles and relationships. How would you describe your own?
- Pause the video on the Wheel of Power and Privilege (about 9:45) or refer back to figure 6.9. Choose two of the categories on the wheel and analyze where you think you and your family fit on the wheel.
Licenses and Attributions for Going Deeper
Open Content, Original
“Going Deeper” by Elizabeth B. Pearce. License: CC BY 4.0.
Open Content, Shared Previously
Figure 6.25 “Social Identities” by Elizabeth B. Pearce, Kimberly Puttman, and Colin Stapp, and Open Oregon Educational Resources is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way.
a systematic investigation into a particular topic, examining materials, sources, and/or behaviors.
ensuring that people have what they need in order to have a healthy, successful life that is equal to others. Different from equality in that some may receive more help than others in order to be at the same level of success.
the visible or hidden and temporary or permanent conditions that create barriers or challenges in one’s life.
can include the aim, goal, or intention of an action; a long-term guiding principle; the impact our life has on the world.
an approach originally advanced by women of color that finds it critical to look at how identities and characteristics (such as ethnicity, race, and gender) overlap and influence each other to create complex hierarchies of power and oppression.
the categorization of humans using observable physical or biological criteria, such as skin color, hair color or texture, facial features, etc.
the shared social, cultural, and historical experiences, stemming from common national, ancestral, or regional backgrounds, that make subgroups of a population different from one another.
the shared meanings and shared experiences passed down over time by individuals in a group, such as beliefs, values, symbols, means of communication, religion, logics, rituals, fashions, etiquette, foods, and art that unite a particular society.