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Hi John, I see that Ron Amundson has starting a trend; it seems that people on this list are determined to drop the second vowel from my birthname! :-) Perhaps I have been misunderstood. Or maybe I have misunderstand your remarks below. I agree with your point about power relations between and within groups. Furthermore, I was not suggesting in my post that we should attempt to discern or weigh "who is more oppressed". On the contrary, my analogy with feminism was intended to show that (as most feminists will acknowledge) in order for the experiences of oppression which women of colour, black women, poor women, and queer women confront to be taken into account, the conception of "women" and "women's oppression" which was early advanced by predominantly white, middle-class heterosexual feminists has had to be rethought and reconceived. For whilst at one time (white) feminists were concerned almost exclusively with asymmetrical relations of power between men and women (that is, gender), most feminists now recognize that any politically and theoretically astute account of women's oppression must explain the ways in which gender is inextricably intertwined with race, class, sexuality, age, etc. [disability has for the most part been ignored by non-disabled feminists]. My point is that in order to address the modes of oppression which people with cognitive impairments confront the conception of disability (i.e., restrictions of activity) which is promulgated on the terms of the hegemonic version of the social model needs to be reconceptualized also. In short, I think that if 'we' (people with cognitive impairments) are to have our particular experiences of oppression (and discrimination) acknowledged and addressed, it won't suffice to change PRACTICE (e.g., to simply do more and better awareness training or advocacy.) Theoretical revision is needed. I think one way in which we should begin to do this is by interrogating epistemological positionings. I hope others on this list will suggest additional or alternative ways. Best regards, Shelley Tremain, PhD, The Roeher Institute Dr John M Davis wrote: > > Hi Shelly > When I observe instances of teacher v teacher oppression or > listen to teachers talking about their own experiences of oppression > am i to ignore their stories becasue they are part of a 'middle class > group' that set agenda's? Should I ignore them becasue much of their > life experiecne has involved what I would see as elitist privaleges? > Am I to weigh (in a positivistic fashion) who's more oppressed? > > Does that link at all to what you were saying. > > Cheers > John > Dr John M Davis > Department of Public Health Sciences/ > Research Unit in Health and Behavioural Change > The University of Edinburgh > Medical School > Teviot Place > Edinburgh > EH8 9AG > > tele 0131 650 3244/6197 > fax 0131 650 6909 > email [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%