From the moment we wake up our lives are part in a giant cycle of existence which controls and affects aspects of every person’s life. The decisions we make, our interactions with others, the privileges we have, and who we are is defined by this interconnecting structure of power. Power is our ability as individuals or groups to influence things around us; to move through and use this structure of power as a privilege. However, as the universal law of the universe goes, there must always be balance; to empower one means to oppress another.
This structure is known as the “Matrix of Domination,” how the power of one leads to the oppression of another and how it is all connected. The first power base is Ideology, the control of ideas and knowledge, such as who we are, what we believe and what we think. Next is Polity, legitimized direct control over others. This is controlled by the government defining what we can/cannot do. The final domain is Economy, or the control of material goods and resources of others. This is a more physical control of a persons surroundings such as wealth, work, and housing. Within these domains lay the actual structure of oppression: who is oppressed and empowered. These structures include gender, race, class, and sexuality. Within each domain there is an institution or power base which affects the structure of oppression, dividing it into 2 categories; the dominate, those with power, and the subordinate, those who are oppressed. Because there are so many angles to power, there is no set pattern of how a person experiences power. Each person falls into different parts of the structure and therefore is affected in different ways. The intersection and connection between all these influences of power are what form the Matrix of Domination.
Within each domain exist institutions, which influence power conflicts within society. They divide people between a dominant group, who are the privileged, and a subordinate group, who are the oppressed. The power usually falls to the “normal,” people who do not stand out in society, known as the “unmarked”. If a person stands out against the “norm” because of gender, race, sexuality, or even class, they are considered part of the subordinate group, those without the power. These people are known as the “marked.” They are marked because in society’s eyes they stand out against what is considered normal/acceptable in a given situation. The beauty of the matrix is that to be unmarked in one dimension of the power struggle ends in that dimension. Looking at a different dimension the same unmarked person can be the marked, creating the infinitely interconnecting cycle of power.
Against the backdrop of privilege and oppression, there is the concept of empowerment, or the acceptance of conditions and the resistance the subordinate group makes to create a balance of power. Empowerment is defined, by Patricia Hill Collins, as the act where subordinate group members understand their difference/existence as marked subjects, and with this knowledge objectify themselves to use this as “leverage” in their favor.
While this power matrix may seem simple it is actually very complex with infinite intricacies. To illustrate, I will explore a day of my life and how I interweave in this structure of power. Over the course of my life as a straight, white, male, of the middle-upper class, I will have many advantages/privileges that others won’t. At the same time, others will have advantages that I won’t, and I will be at the disadvantage. Exploring my own power matrix I learned how my being affects others, and how others affect my own being. I uncovered many things that I do or ways I behave and the theoretical reasoning behind them.
As a twenty-year-old college student I wake up every morning to infinite influences on my life. The first thing I do is eat breakfast, which I always eat in the healthiest fashion because I know that a good and healthy breakfast leads to a healthier lifestyle. After breakfast I usually try and go to the gym before my classes to keep myself in shape. I come home to shower and dress making sure I look presentable. Why do I do all this to maintain my physical appearance? The answer is easy, because it puts me at an advantage over others, at least so I’ve been programmed to think.
One of the largest influences on my behavior is the media. In the USA TV, radio, music etc… control a large majority of the ideals of my life. I see fit, attractive people on TV, who are dressed well. They show these people on TV because they are who society accepts or projects as the normal; these people are the unmarked. To be like them I eat well, dress well, stay in shape so I am not different.
Physical appearance is a classification of class. The media portrays the upper class as well dressed. Shows such as MTV, movies, and seeing celebrities on TV portray the extravagant lifestyle as the normal, so we grow up trying to achieve this. I base my appearance and behavior around power structure of class. By improving my position among others by being in better shape, dressing better, acting “cool,” I naturally put myself at what I consider an advantage, being closer to who we are told to be like. Being a male I am less affected than females are by this. There is high pressure on females to be dressed well and fit. The media creates the ideology in society that a woman must be well kept, dressed well, and extremely fit to be attractive and presentable in society. While this gives women the power of sexuality it also objectifies them and creates expectations.
The media does not only affect images of class but also of race. The portrayal of many African-American males in movies, TV shows, and even the news puts them at a disadvantage. The crime reports that constantly appear on the news mark the “black race.” If the news shows that the worst parts of DC are the black neighborhoods, then people who see this “mark” black men. Soon police are wary of lower class black males, marking them as “suspect”/suspicious. The police then enforce this in their daily activity, racially profiling. In an instant the media has turned the crime in one neighborhood into the legitimized oppression of the African-American male community by the police (within the domain of polity law). In the United States, there has been increasing awareness that penalties for possession of and dealing crack cocaine (done more heavily by African-Americans) are much higher than penalties for cocaine possession/dealing (done more heavily by Caucasians). This shows how quickly one institution within a domain of oppression can quickly lead to and influence others and how they interact.
Being Caucasian in America could probably be one of the most direct advantages I have. Recently I was traveling with my family. As a Caucasian I have almost never been pulled aside in airport security, however my Middle Eastern father is pulled aside almost every time he travels. My Israeli dad has been marked by American society because of recent media covering terrorism and problems in the Middle East. While racial profiling exists there have been laws set in place that are supposed to prevent it as a form of subordinate resistance within the “polity” domain.
As a Caucasian, which makes me part of the unmarked majority population of America and this school, I will probably be paid better and have more/better job opportunities than people of other races. Unfortunately the fact that I am Caucasian will also put me at a disadvantage. As I said before there is always balance. When applying to colleges I understood that as a result of affirmative action my non-Caucasian counterpart, who will not have the same jobs or pay as me, will have an easier time of getting into the University. This is an example of resistance of the marked/subordinate group, I am not personally saying that this is bad, but in my opinion, when a group does this they only confirm and perpetuate their existence as a marked group in a form of “submission.”
After waking up a Caucasian, media driven, male student, I make my way to my classes at the University of Maryland. Education is the next big institution within the Ideological domain. Education has been a divider of power since the beginning of existence, giving better jobs and opportunities to the educated and marginalizing the uneducated. There are many negative stereotypes of people who don’t attend college. Education is a divider of race, and it is also a major divider of class. People of the higher class tend to have a college degree and experience, which often leads to better jobs. However, as a college student, It is harder to find jobs at first because we are considered inexperienced. People my age who went straight into the world of work may earn more than I initially earn and have an easier time getting a job than I do when I get my college degree because they have those years of experience working for them.
It is also an expectation of American society as dictated by the media that people must attend college to be considered educated. To not be educated is a mark against one’s self, separating one from the standards of the educated-upper class. Another negative stereotype as a non-college educated person is that you do not have the knowledge of others and therefore will not be able to get as good a job as someone who has attended college. This results in economic oppression on the subordinate group that did not attend college.
Being born into a middle-upper class family is great luck and a large advantage in many aspects of our society. I am treated to the best education and I am expected to fit that mold and perform well in it. This is also a disadvantage because if a person in this situation has other dreams or ideas it is harder to drift away from the norm of that class. I have a friend, both his parents are lawyers, and they have high expectations of him to graduate from the Maryland business school. He does not really tell many of his friends, and absolutely cannot tell his family, that he really would like to just move to Colorado to become a ski instructor for the rest of his life. It is hard and embarrassing to him to tell people he usually associates with within his class what he wants to do. Within levels of class there are certain guidelines and expectations.
The upper class usually controls the better jobs and opportunities, so the lower class must take the worst jobs, and turn to upper class business owners for employment. This leads to another form of oppression where the upper class owners now have workforce control over the lower class. With control over the lives of others the upper class reinforces its personal power and influence over other people. The upper class controls who gets jobs, who gets promoted, what benefits people get, and their earnings.This can lead to the exploitation that can be found with common wage and manual labor jobs. With the lower class marked for worse economic conditions, its source of empowerment is through worker unions, strikes, and examples of worker-owned companies. The workers who fail at this usually are driven out of their jobs or to endless struggles for stable employment.
This situation leads other domains of the oppression matrix to be effected. The lower class being driven into difficult economic positions creates opportunity for others. The police become empowered through class oppression. Members of the lower class are treated less fairly by the law. The court system is enormously expensive, to the point where members of the lower class aren’t able to take people to court because of the expense of lawyers, or even able to pay their court fees to the government. Because of this they get unequal protection under the law compared to those who can afford the best lawyers.
After all my classes are over, homework is done, and the sun begins to set, I usually find myself facing legal restrictions set up for people my age. Still in college, my friends and I do our fair share of drinking and partying, in other words toying with the law. The law was set up to protect people but in a way acts as an oppressor. People my age (who can vote and lose their lives in a war) are not allowed to drink. It is a form of government control of the young population and it puts students in the position of submission to the government’s power. In an attempt to empower ourselves, we accept our role as irresponsible adults and do our best to get away with as much as we can by stretching the law. People empower themselves against government control by fighting back through demonstrations and illegal activities. In my rebellion against this government control I find myself in the bars of College Park where a whole new world of power is opened up to me.
As a male in the modern world I will have many sources of power but at the same time I will also have many disadvantages, which women have over me. To start off with I was born into a position of power, after all the sign for the male is the sword, while the females is the shield. It has been men’s position in history as the “powerful.” This is not my choice or doing but how it happened. Women are looked at as the more beautiful and delicate gender. Where this puts men at a workplace advantage, it puts me at a sexual disadvantage. Women have the power of sexuality. In the case of anyone I know, if a girl asks for something the male will be more ready to help the female than another male in a similar situation. This is because of the delicacy of the female gender. Certain expectations are created around this form of oppression. The males are expected in society to initiate relations with women, they usually are the ones who go hit on women, buy drinks for women, ask women out, etc… Going to the bars at night all the girls who look beautiful and are dressed well have no problem getting into the bars, while men are treated strictly. Inside the bar men buy girls drinks to try and create some sort of connection with the woman. Unfortunately it is usually the better-looking girls who are hit on, get in, and have drinks bought for them. This is not a social choice but more of an animal instinct, however it creates social divides. Women become empowered when they realize there advantage over men and dress scandalously and flirt to try and get what they want, Exploiting their perceived position amongst men, objectifying themselves. As the more work and politically “powerful” gender, it is a common and unfortunate fact that men will make more money in the same job position as equally qualified and experienced females. In the current election process there is great debate between whether Obama, or Clinton will win the Democratic nomination. While both candidates have there qualities I have many people dislike Clinton just because she is a woman. Maybe people are afraid of giving the most powerful job in government (domain of Polity) to a woman? As a Clinton supporter I feel disgusted when I hear people say they will vote for Obama just because he is a male democrat, or even worse when people say McCain is going to be elected because he is not African-American or a woman. While this offers me more opportunity for jobs and better salaries it puts women who have worked equally hard as me at a disadvantage. Many of these oppressions of women and empowerment of men are created and enforced through religion.
Being a Jewish male, with family from Israel, I have had a strong connection with religion throughout my life. At the age of thirteen I was bar-mitzvah, the ritual passing of men into adulthood through Jewish religion and culture. This is a opportunity which, traditionally, only men could take part in, there was no such thing for women. From early life this tradition creates a divide in gender. Men are given the opportunity to pass into a higher form of society within the religion, given power within the religion. Women who for the most part have not been offered this opportunity have recently started to hold the ceremony for themselves as a way to empower themselves. Religion creates more than a gender divide, it has also created a religious divide between people. At the university of Maryland, where there is a very large Jewish population, I sometimes feel like a minority. When certain holidays are celebrated such as Easter and Christmas I sometimes feel different. This is mostly caused by the Christmas music played on the radio and all the tv programming for these occasions. While I don’t feel at a disadvantage, in a way I am marked by society. The majority of America are Christians, being Jewish I am deemed different at times and marked against the norm of society.
Looking through my everyday life I can easily see how power structures my everyday life from my interactions with others to how I act and feel about myself. The privileges I have in one dimension come from the power I take by oppressing others. While privileged in domain and structure I can also be marked by society as different and disadvantaged in another. This constant balance between being unmarked and powered and marked and disadvantaged is what makes up the matrix of domination that surrounds my life. Throughout this paper I explored my life and saw how being who I am can advantageous to me through the oppression of others, and how being the same person can also be a disadvantage to me while tipping the scales of power to those lucky enough to be unmarked.
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The Analysis of Power in the Life of an
18-year-old Asian American Female
I am an 18-year-old heterosexual Asian American female and I am from the middle class. I am also agnostic. All these elements of my identity have both given me privileges but also have oppressed certain aspects of my life. These layers come together to form a matrix of domination in my life. They all inter-connect in some form or another, even though they are in different categories of my identity and they all come together to assert power over my life. Some of these things give me privileges in this society, while others oppress me. Some categories restrict the power one category may allow me. Every one of these categories I am in can be separated into two types-- marked and unmarked. The unmarked categories encompass the categories that society accepts as the norm. The people in these categories dominate and oppress those in the marked categories who are criticized the most simply for being different or in the minority. These categories, both marked and unmarked, work together to form the matrix of domination, which dictate the privileges I have in my everyday life.
I am 18 years old meaning I am a young adult. This is an unmarked category because younger people are the dominant group. In this society, the ability to work and contribute to the economy is valued very much. As young adults, we have the most potential to do so and actually keep the economy running. The older citizens are marked simply because they are not in the majority of this society. They are more noticed because there is a larger quantity of younger people. This gives power to the younger people because since there are more of them, they are dominant. As a young person, I can see the way I hold power in the privileges I hold and the choices I am able to make that aren't available for others to make.
I am from the middle class and therefore have had the opportunity to get a decent education and live a comfortable life. The middle class is an unmarked category because there are so many people in this society that are in the middle class that they are not noticed because they are the dominant group. The ones that do get noticed are the minorities, which in this case would be the working class, because they stand out. Whoever is in the unmarked category has power in this society whether they are or are not aware of it. Society has built these constructs so that the working class has not had the privilege that the middle and upper classes have had. Stereotypes have been engendered about the working class depicting them as dirty, lazy, useless, and a drain on society. Coming from the middle class, I have not had to endure such discrimination. This freedom I have, that we usually take for granted and therefore do not normally consider as freedom, gives us power because other people do not have the privilege of living without discrimination. It can be seen that I have power because of my class because I have never had to fight preconceived notions other people may have had about me solely based on my parents' incomes. I have never had to be ashamed of the brands I wear or because society has granted privilege to this group. I have never doubted that I have the opportunities to go to any college I want just as long as I work hard enough. My whole life I have always assumed that these things would be viable options but these same things may not have been available to other people in lower classes.
Having economic security, in my everyday life, I have the privilege of being worry-free of where my next meal is coming from. I have the privilege of not having to worry about not having a warm jacket for the cold winter. I have the privilege of knowing I'll have a place to live. I have the privilege of knowing that I will have heat for the winter and air conditioning for the summer. All this shows the power my class has given me.
The power that I have from being in this class comes from the fact that this society is capitalistic and revolves around money. Those without money cannot afford the material possessions that this society has hallowed and put on a pedestal. Without these possessions, they are looked down upon. Since this society revolves around money, the excellent quality merchandise and services cost more of it. Being from this class, I have had the privilege of affording these things such as an excellent education at private middle and high schools and at the University of Maryland, College Park. People from other classes may not have the resources to achieve those same goals. Education can lead to better careers with higher salaries so from the start, I have a better chance of doing well and succeeding financially. Because of the working class's status, they probably are not presented with the same opportunities their counterparts in higher classes are presented with. Their opportunity to go to and receive quality education and further their schooling is limited because of their class. This is where it is evident I have privileges due to my class.
My class affects yet another aspect of life—employment. The education I receive will greatly affect the types of jobs I get, which will affect the grade of life I have. If being from the middle class means better education, then that means a better job and a better salary. Because of my education, there will be a variety of jobs available to me that would generally be a lot more well-paying than jobs that requires no education. It is a privilege to know that these types of jobs will be available to me. These are privileges that I have because of the class I was born into.
My sexual orientation is another element of my identity that is categorized as unmarked because I am heterosexual. This society is predominantly heterosexual, which makes the minorities, then, stand out. The history of this country with homosexuality has been one full of torture, hate crimes, and ostracizing. Even today, hate crimes are committed against homosexuals every day. Because of this, thousands of homosexual teenagers and adults feel they cannot express their sexuality because of the shame and danger doing so would do to them. Many may feel they cannot even go out in public without being stared at and harshly criticized. Being heterosexual, I have the privilege of going out on a date with whomever I choose and know I will not garner stares because of the sex of my date. I have the privilege of knowing that when I watch the newest romantic comedy in theatres, it’ll be about couples that mirror my life. I have the privilege of bringing home dates and not having to worry about coming out to my parents and all the trouble and anxiety that would come with that. I have the privilege of being able to marry whomever I please without being worried about legal troubles. There are so many privileges that heterosexuals have that homosexuals do not. Instead they are faced with troubles that they have to cope with every day of their lives. All these privileges show the power I have just by being in the dominant group. This also means that I do not have to worry about a mass amount of people discriminating against me based on my sexual orientation.
I was raised in the states so I speak standard English with no accent. This puts me in another unmarked category. I can assume that I will not face any discrimination based on my accent. I have the privilege of going out in public to virtually any store and know I will be served by and expected to interact only with people who speak my language. I know that I will be able to communicate flawlessly with my counterparts in everyday life. The power I have by being able to speak English well is shown through all the privileges I have listed above and those barely scratch the surface. Those people who cannot speak English fluently or speak with heavy accents do not have the privilege of being able to communicate effectively and therefore can face discrimination. This society has also constructed stereotypes about those with accents and sometimes labels them to be less than intelligent or ignorant to the ways of American culture. Although in reality, an immigrant could have lived in America for 25 years and understand very well American culture but face a lot of discrimination due to assumptions based on his accent. I have the privilege of not having to undergo such discrimination. That is the power I hold simply by being able to speak English.
Another unmarked category I am a part of is under the temporarily able category being I am my body is able to perform general physical functions. So many people in this society and worldwide, take for advantage the ability to walk around, travel, communicate, etc. via the methods that have been made for the general public such as cars and phones. Physically challenged people have a whole slew of obstacles they have to face and overcome in order to function normally depending on the physical challenge. For those in wheelchairs, many places are not wheelchair accessible and it is hard to get around and enjoy all the things that I, as an able-bodied person, would be able to. Someone who cannot speak, for instance would not be able to communicate using the methods that many people take for granted today—the telephone. I have the privilege of being able to go to a restaurant know that I won’t not be accommodated because my handicap tools won’t fit into the aisles or around the table. I can place my trust in the fact that any clothes I buy will fit all my limbs and body parts. I can be positive that no one will underestimate my abilities to perform basic physical activities due to my appearance. Thanks to my body’s ability, I have power in this area as well.
Some elements of my identity are parts of marked categories, which somewhat limit all the power and privilege I have mentioned before. For example, I am a female in a society where males are dominant. Women are oppressed in this society because up until very recently in history, they have been considered as second-rate citizens. This country was established and run by men and the women were expected to stay at home and take care of the domestic chores. Since the beginning of this country, women were always expected to stay behind the scenes. Not until many years after the country was even established, did women get the right to vote. But even after years of women being treated like servants, the stereotypes of women being nothing but house workers still persists. Even though in today’s society many would claim that sexism is over because women can vote and work now, there are more subtle ways that the oppression of women has persisted. The idea that women should stay quiet behind the scenes has perpetuated via the stereotypes that women should be more feminine, demure, soft, and fragile. Little girls are urged to play inside with dolls while boys are urged to play roughly with trucks. Women are still expected to do most of the domestic work—cooking, cleaning, and laundering. I feel oppressed by these expectations because as a woman, this is what society expects me to do but I want to do so much more than just that. I do not want the quality of the housework I do or my ability to maintain a household to define who I am. Instead, I would rather pursue a career in a science-related field. This is also problematic because men in this society dominate science-relate fields. As a woman, I would have to prove my intelligence to be on the same level as my colleagues in the work field.
I can see the oppression of women also through how we must carry ourselves at night. Because most men are physically stronger than women, they have the ability to force women to do things they do not want to do. At night, many women feel the need to travel in packs or carry some sort of protective tool to ward of strange men. This is another form of oppression. Why do we have to feel so unsafe in our own communities simply because we are women? The fear of the power of men is oppression.
I also feel the pressure from the media to look a certain way, which is another form of oppression. Women have a very unrealistic physical ideal set for them by society that is almost impossible to reach for virtually the whole society. The super skinny, very tall, strong bone structured woman is plastered all over the media and women throughout this society feel they are inadequate because of these images. This is form of oppression in that we are told to be ashamed of their beautiful, natural bodies and to strive for something "better." Women should be able to take pride in their bodies and embrace them. The oppression of our physical appearance is something I have to deal with especially because I am a young adult, when society places importance on appearances.
Because I am a female and feel the effects of oppression, it limits the power I have from the other categories. For example, when comparing a man and a woman both from the middle class, the man would have more power because although they are both in the same class, the female is restricted by her sex. This is how the matrix of domination comes into play. The matrix of categories comes together to assert power over certain parts of my life so that there is domination. Being a female restricts the power from almost any unmarked group I have talked about. Even though I am a young adult, because of the fact that I am a woman, more power would go to the male young adult because he simply has more privileges in this society.
Another marked category I am in is the race category—I am Asian American. The dominant group in this society is the white group. As a minority I don’t have the privileges that come with being part of the majority. I feel that many people generalize the way Asians behave based on a couple observations of other Asian interactions that expect me to behave in a similar manner. I feel constricted as to how I can act. When I do act a certain why in front of my white peers, it is attributed to my being Asian while my white counterparts would not have to hear things like that. I am always the token Asian girl, which makes me feel like I am seen above everything for my skin color and physical appearance. I am plagued by questions based on assumptions drawn from stereotypes of the Asian math genius and prodigy violin player wherever I go. I feel oppressed because I feel like I have to live and act a certain way to live up to everybody’s expectations of what an Asian should be like. In an ideal world, I would want to just be me and people to see that regardless of what ethnicity I am.
This oppression once again restricts some of the power from the afore-mentioned unmarked categories. Even though I am a U.S. citizen and there are many benefits that come from it, I technically don’t look like the typical U.S. citizen who is white; I look foreign. The fact that my ethnicity is non-European restricts some of the power I hold as a citizen because I don’t look the part. Someone who is a citizen and white would have more privileges than I did partly because he or she would have to deal with less stereotypes than I do. If this person were also to be a male, in addition to a citizen and white, he would have even more privileges because he would fit many of the unmarked categories.
My religion is under the unmarked category as well. I am not a Protestant Christian meaning I am in the minority for this as well. I do not actually have a religion as I am agnostic but that places me in the unmarked category. As someone in the unmarked category, I am criticized all the time by people in the dominant category for not believing the things they believe in. Every Sunday I am berated by my peers to go out to church with them. They make me feel as if I am immoral because of my choice to not follow a religion.
The fact that I am of a minority, female, and agnostic each place their own set of limitations on the privileges mentioned earlier, which are all connected as well. Because from the middle class is related to my U.S. citizenship because it seems that many immigrants who aren't U.S. citizens or are illegal are in the working class. Both my class and my nationality relate to my ability to speak English. Even though I may have many privileges thanks to being in unmarked categories such as heterosexuality and being a young adult, the power I have from those divisions are constrained by the limitations of my marked categories.
These examples show the matrix of domination and how all these different elements come together to dominate my life. I am constrained by the fact that I am Asian, yet privileged moreso than others in this society because I speak English well. I am restricted by the fact that I am a female but privileged because I am also in the middle class. All these factors come together to work together and form a matrix that sets up a construct of power in my life.
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