Marginalization
To be marginalized is to be locked out. Not able to participate and not able to contribute. Thus also locked out of opportunities to improve one's abilities, gather resources and gaining any authority as an insider. On a socioeconomic level, this can be a matter of excluding people from career and salary opportunities. On a local social level, it may be a matter of shunning a family – for example encouraging one's children to refuse to play with (or even outright harass) the children of gay parents or Muslim parents. (In Swedish: marginalisering)
This facet of categorism is one of the five facets included in the Five Faces of Oppression model.
Interactions
This facet of categorism is an expression of discrimination.
It is likely to intersect with facets such as:
- Stigmatization: Those who are not given a chance to participate and contribute are then looked down upon for not participating and contributing.
- Invisibilization: Making the marginalized group disappear from sight.
- Malpractice: When a group is marginalized, society may care less about people in that group getting mistreated.
As well as with abstractions such as:
- Categorist distinctions: making the marginalization invisible by defining away the marginalized.
Examples of applying this facet to a particular foci of categorism can include:
- Homophobia: Shunning people who are gay (or one fear might be gay) by refusing to work with them or by making clear to one's children that they shouldn't be nice to the children of that family.
- Antimuslimism: Shunning people who are Muslims (or one fear might be Muslims) by refusing to work with them or by making clear to one's children that they shouldn't be nice to the children of that family.
Marginalization in example texts
- Adam's homophobia: Part of Adam bullying Cedric by accusing him of being gay.
