Power and Privilege

In any social context (grouping of people, from family & neighbourhood to workplace and society), there are power differentials operating all the time.

Power derives from a range of sources such as roles (both formal and informal), status, identity and ability.

A person who enjoys privileged status owing to differentials in what society values, holds more power than those less privileged.

This power plays out constantly in subtle and overt ways, and we are all at risk of misusing the power we hold and being misused by others’ power.

However, it’s not as straightforward as this sounds, because we all hold multiple roles and identities, some of which are privileged, others not, e.g. a gay man: i.e. we have intersecting roles and identities, which create complexity.

It takes recognition of the above concepts of power, privilege, identity, intersectionality and a commitment to positive action to address their impact in our personal lives and within the work and social roles we hold; and a high level of reflection and reflexivity, to be effective in managing our power and privileges.

This workshop seeks to promote understanding and awareness of the dynamics of power and privilege and their impact and offers the opportunity to develop self-awareness, reflection and reflexivity and explore practical steps to redress negative impact.

Learning Outcomes:

• To explore issues of power and privilege and how these affect roles and relationships in individual contexts as well as organisationally
• To increase understanding of how the nature and extent of privilege differs from person to person through our intersecting identities
• To identify how unrecognised and unacknowledged power and privilege operate
• To reflect on the range of our own powers and how we use our personal and positional power
• To explore practical steps that can be taken to increase positive action and redress the negative impact of power relations and privilege on our work and with those we work
• To reflect on our practice through the lens of power and privilege

Workshop format:

Interactive and informal facilitation involving experiential and reflective exercises, discussions, in pairs and in small groups.

Contact: info@zebra.coop for further details.