CONTEXT:

Excerpt from The Role of Socialization and Hegemony in Maintaining Systems of Oppression

Socialization refers to the lifelong process by which we inherit and replicate the dominant norms and frameworks of our society, and learn to accept them as “common sense”. In particular, we learn to think of social identity categories as essential and natural, and of social hierarchies as inevitable. Our socialization processes rarely point out that our norms perpetuate a world view based upon the maintenance of advantage for some, relative to disadvantage for others.

The cycle signifies the way socializing interactions within our families, schools, peers and religious affiliations, and through the media are not one-time events, but continue throughout our lives. Our “first socialization” takes place through interactions with members of immediate and extended family, teachers, and other trusted adults. The messages we received are usually mutually reinforcing, although sometimes contradictory (e.g. between messages received at home and at school). Such contradictions offer space to question received norms.

Socialization continues through interactions with institution and through cultural messages that are reinforced in adulthood. Through cumulative encounters with social institutions like medical systems, police, courts, banks and workplaces we learn the roles we are expected to play in order to navigate institutions successfully as a person with our social identities. Whether consciously or not, we are reminded again and again of how we are privilege and/or disadvantaged, we may feel that it’s not fair, or if we have advantages we may accept them as normal and deserved. To the extent that the process is not interrupted, we transmit these norms and assumptions to the next generation, thus perpetuating the cycle.

Above text is excerpt from pages 105 - 106, Adams, M. E., Bell, L. A. E., & Griffin, P. E. (2016). Teaching for diversity and social justice. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group