A Beautiful Bricolage

How Oppression and Privilege Create Human Identity

According to A.K. Wing, identity is a complex juxtaposition of the oppressions and privileges a person experiences. Identity cannot be characterized until we look at individuals’ complicated intersections of “dominance and subordination.” Every person has elements of privilege in their life along with elements of oppression; neglecting to recognize one of these concepts would result in a failure to understand the person from a holistic viewpoint. Moreover, if we only look at the oppressions one faces, it would leave little ability to attempt to improve one’s situation. We must recognize the privileges we have in order to have a framework for progressive change in our lives.

I am privileged. When you see me, I am sure you make this assumption too; I am white, upper-middle class, and my physical attributes fall in conjunction (for the most part) with Western beauty standards. I have no physical disabilities, am cis-gender, heterosexual, and my cultural capital is in line with Western societal standards. On the other hand, I am Jewish, I am a woman, and I suffer from mental illness. So how do these attributes compose my identity? But on the other hand, how do these characteristics compose my perceived identity?

I recognize my privilege; I always have and always will. I recognize that since I am white-passing, I do not have the same lived experiences that people of color have. And because I am economically advantaged, I have more access to resources along with more cultural capital than many of my peers. I am a heterosexual, cis-gender woman living in a heteronormative society; that is a privilege. But these elements of privilege do not define me. I was raised to be aware of my privilege but to never let it be an excuse for acting nonchalant when it comes to social justice and social action! In fact, I was raised with the mindset that being privileged gave me an even greater obligation to promote progressive change because I had a platform to leverage my voice from. Much of this comes from my upbringing as a Jew because our teachings promote social justice and righteous giving.

But because I am a Jew, I have also experienced the oppressive nature of society. I come from a family that faced systematic murder by their state. I come from a family that, here in the United States, was not allowed in buildings and barred from jobs because they were Jewish. I have been harassed and targeted because my religion. This part of my identity cannot be undermined. Society wants to look at me as simply “white,” but like Wing articulates, identity is much more nuanced than that; my identity is much more nuanced than that.

And while I do not have any physical disabilities, I suffer form mental illness. I face the stigma that comes with mental illness- the shame, the insecurity, the fear. And I also face the oppressions that women in the United States are subjected to. I too experience the patriarchal oppressions that keep women in subordinate positions to their male counterparts. I face misogyny everyday; through sexist images and comments I face oppression.

Oppression and privilege are not separate entities; they are interconnected and nuanced to create an individual’s holistic identity. I am not simply privileged nor am I oppressed. I am a beautiful bricolage of dominance and subordination.