Difference between revisions of "Levels of context and hegemony"

Revision as of 17:16, 27 January 2021

When categorism is done, it is done in a social context. This context can be interaction between two or a few individuals (micro level), a biger context such as an organization (meso level) or a very big context such as a country or global subculture (macro level). In the given context, a certain form of categorism may be more or less maginalized or more or less hegemonic. In a context where categorism against a certain category of people is widespread or even hegemonic, it can be reasonable to count the people in this category as being oppressed.

Note that the categorization into levels, just like any other act of categorization, is of more or less limited accuracy: The boundaries between the levels are often more or less arbitrary. While a distinction between levels is preferable in some situations, there are also situations where it is more fruitful to view it as uninterrupted sliding scales.

Levels of context

Levels of context is a sliding scale: ranging from on one hand what’s going on within a single individual mind, to on the other hand what’s going on within the entire culosphere. The term “culosphere” refers to the sum of all cultures and all social life, just like the term “biosphere”refers to the sum of all biotopes and all biological life. This scale can be divided into three parts, called micro level, meso level and macro level.

Types of structures

Different kinds of social structure include for example discourses, socioeconomic structures (such as distribution of wealth), formal structures (such as laws) and social norms. When it comes to social norms, we should distinguish between prescriptive norms for how people ought to be, descriptive norms for how people are assumed to be, and mixed norms such as norms for what kinds of behavior (and from whom) we should view as “unfortunate but unavoidable”.

Note that a structure can be more or less hegemonic, and that this can differ between different contexts: A social norm which is hegemonic in one context can be alternative in another, or vice versa. Also note that when a structure is squarely on an individual level of context, then it can be calld a mental structure rather than a social structure.

Levels of hegemony

Levels of hegemony is a sliding scale: ranging from on one hand a certain norm or other structure having almost complete hegemony or dominance within the context, to on the other hand the norm or other structure being very alternative or repressed.

An example: Kyle's context & views on sexuality

Lets say that a man named Kyle has a very strict belief that bisexuality is the only moral sexual orientation and also the only trye one. He believes that everyone is actually bisexual, that everyone who claims to be heterosexual or homosexual is lying or deluding themselves. However, Kyle spends most of his time in a subculture where bisexuals and heterosexuals are looked down upon - the mainstream social norm within this subculture is to be homosexual. This subculture is situated in a nation which as a strong history of homophobia but no history of heterophobia. Today heterosexuals, bisexuals and homosexuals have equal rights, although there is still traces of homophobia in mainstream society and there are some subcultures which actively seek to persecute homosexuals and bisexuals.

So, lets break this down into three levels of context.

• Micro level,Individual: In the mental reality of Kyle's own mind, a certain kind of binormativity is strongly hegemonic.
• Meso level, subculture: Kyle lives in a subculture where the social norms are such that homonormativity is quite hegemonic.
• Macro level, nation: Kyle and the local subculture he lives in exist within a nation where the social norms are such that heterormativity is no longer hegemonic but still quite widespread. While the lingering prejudices is mainstream society is still a problem, the main problem is the attacks from people who live in subcultures where heteronormativity is strongly hegemonic. The main problem with homophobia in mainstream society is not a matter of mainstream society being homophobic (although that's also still a problem), but is instead a matter of mainstream society not doing enough to protect LGBTQ+ people from homophobic individuals and groups.

Being bisexual himself, Kyle is beset on two sides: On one hand homophobia and biphobia from mainstream society and from individuals who are anchored in bigoted subcultures, and on the other hand heterophobia and biphobia within Kyle's own subculture. People keep telling him that heterophobia doesn't even exist, as if that would make things better in the context he's actually living in.