A Framework for Thinking About Oppression and Conflict

In this paper, my purpose is to provide a framework for thinking about oppression and how to overcome it. Oppression is, I believe, at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. The paper is divided into the following sections. The first considers the value premise underlying my use of the term ‘oppression’ (4.2). The second is a discussion of the nature of oppression (4.3). The third addresses the question, “What forms does oppression take?” (4.4). The fourth asks, “What keeps oppression in place?” (4.5). The fifth addresses the awakening of the sense of injustice (4.6). The sixth provides a discussion of the strategies and tactics for overcoming oppression, which often involve violent conflict with groups in power (4.7). In the final section of my paper, I will discuss some nonviolent strategies and tactics for overcoming oppression (4.8). My discussion will not focus on the different contexts in which oppression occurs, such as the family, work, education, and between ethnic, religious, and racial groups. There is an excellent discussion of the different contexts of oppression in the book, Social Inequality (Neckerman 2004), which presents extensive empirical data about inequality in various contexts.