Janet Zandy's view of class as a ghost issue
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What does Zandy mean when she calls class a ghost issue and how does Zandy define class?
Janet Zandy describes class as "an aspect of shared economic circumstances and shared social and cultural practices in relationship to positions of power.... [Class] shapes our lives and intersects with race, ethnicity, gender and geography in profound ways" (1996). In order to build inclusive environments, we must understand how these multiple identities can also intersect to "form an interlocking system of oppression" (Linkon 1999). In other words, we must understand our own relationships to power.
In reality, individual lives involve multiple and dynamic overlapping identities. While working-class people, for example, may share common experiences related to economic or social vulnerability, their experiences differ based on other aspects of identity. Working-class people of color often experience different forms of marginalization related to racial identity. The same is true of gender and class, sexual orientation and class, geography and class, etc. There is no single class identity: class is always experienced through multiple lenses.
Even if we recognize these intersections, we often aren't very skillful at describing them. Consequently, our conversations can dissolve into competitions over who is most marginalized, distracting from powerful opportunities to build bridges across difference. By developing class consciousness that attends to multiple identities, we increase our ability to provide effective leadership, create diverse environments, and expand the foundations of knowledge.
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Solution Summary
300 words of personal notes are integrated to discuss what Zandy means when she calls class "a ghost issue." A brief interpretation is also listed of how Zandy defines class as well.
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Welcome warmly to BM! Please rate 5/5 for my 300 words of personal brainstorming ideas.
First off, as you briefly explicate what does Zandy mean when she calls class a ghost issue, I feel that she is inferring that race is indeed a highly elusive topic since it often intersects with other issues such as gender, race, culture, language, religion, and so on. When growing up, I was impoverished, often hungry and cold, but no one at school knew because I still wore nice, trendy ...
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