Matrix Of Domination

The Matrix of Domination, Short Paper IDS 400

By: Scott D. Malone

12/01/15

The Matrix of Domination/Oppression is a sociological pattern that attempts to explain issues of domination and oppression that deal in class, race, gender, creed, national origin, sexual orientation and/or age (Patricia Hill Collins 1990).

In 1990 Collins is credited with introducing the theory in her book Black Feminist Thought; Knowledge, consciousness and the politics of empowerment. As noted in her work, there are many different ways someone might experience domination or oppression.

• Oppression of race, gender, sexuality or national origin intersect varying systems of power. Collins uses the phrase “intersectionality” to refer to concurrent coincidental multiple forms of oppression or domination. (Collins 1990)

• She alleges that because black women have unique histories at

junctions of power, black women’s world views are created out of a need to define one’s self and to work toward social justice. (Collins 1990)
• That black women’s specific experiences with converging systems of oppression provide a unique prospective into the process of achieving social justice for other individual or social groups. (Collins 1990)
In her book, Black Feminist Thought, Collins describes how studying black feminism highlighted two important themes.
• “How black women’s paid work is organized with in intersecting oppressions of race, class and gender” and,
• “concerns how black women’s unpaid family labor is simultaneously confining and empowering.” (Collins 1990)
Collins stress that black women see the uncompensated work they perform in their households as a way to resist oppression instead of being used by men.
Analysis
According to Collins, oppressions seem to be firmly entrenched in branched understanding of Eurocentric masculinity hating thought. A person must be either black or white in Collins thought system and people of mixed or ambiguous racial/ethnic backgrounds must constantly struggle with question of what they are.
It seems in Collins mind that an emphasis is placed on qualifying or categorizing ones racial or ethnic indent must run concurrently with a belief that either/or categories must be ranked. I.E African-American-Female. It seems to this author that one side of the equation must be privileged and the other side’s subservient. Rather than just being an American of African descent
Creating interlocking models of oppression creates the possibility of new categories, such as adding sexual orientation or religious creed.

Example (African-America, Female Muslim). It seems to this author that putting significance on perceived units of oppression and “intersectionality” causes a greater shift in perceived inclusivity. It seems Collins is only focused on the African-America Female, however if there really is oppressions she neglects to note that they affect more than just one gender or race. Certainly other people of color, Jews, Muslims, poor white women and men, gays and lesbians can be oppressed.

In addition to the methodized axes of oppression such as gender, race, social class etc. the matrix of domination is structured on other levels. People can experience/resist oppression on several levels (Collins 1990) The personal level, the affinity group or community level and cultural context created by the axes of oppression and the systemic level of social institutions. According to Collins, black feminist thought assets potential resistance to oppression on all three levels.

Conclusion
What social justice warriors fail to see, is that most individuals have no problem identifying their own so-called victimization within some perceived axis of oppression be it social class, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability or age, most cannot see how their actions to uphold their values or identity relegates someone else to subordination.
Most of the problems faced by this country could be eliminated by disavowing the politics of identity and facing issues as Americans with no hyphens. In this authors opinion Identity politics must end. As a second generation American whose family immigrated from Ireland there is no room for anything but Americans in this country. Once we face that reality we can work on improving conditions for all Americans.

Bibliography
Patricia Hill Collins: Black Feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness and the politics of empowerment, 1990