The growing trend of referring to methods of social science as intellectual tools of the oppressor disempowers the disadvantaged and acts as a hindrance to improving opportunity.
I prefer the yin/yang view of the world in which every system contains the seeds of its own demise. This is the opposite of Audre Lourde‘s claim about the master’s tools.
More importantly, I define equity in my book, Schooling for Holistic Equity, with reference to the satisfaction of primary needs, where needs are defined scientifically. Oppression must be experienced in order to exist. If a person is experiencing well-being then that is the opposite of oppression. My expertise is in psychology, so my main focus is on the psychological needs for relatedness, autonomy, and competence. Those are measurable, so we have the capability for objectively assessing the status of someone’s oppression.
I prefer the yin/yang view of the world in which every system contains the seeds of its own demise. This is the opposite of Audre Lourde‘s claim about the master’s tools.
More importantly, I define equity in my book, Schooling for Holistic Equity, with reference to the satisfaction of primary needs, where needs are defined scientifically. Oppression must be experienced in order to exist. If a person is experiencing well-being then that is the opposite of oppression. My expertise is in psychology, so my main focus is on the psychological needs for relatedness, autonomy, and competence. Those are measurable, so we have the capability for objectively assessing the status of someone’s oppression.
Here’s a relevant link to my site: https://www.holisticequity.org/equity-in-schools.html