Oppression and Community Work Intervention
Working within Communities, Workers Identify a Plethora of Factors
Nov 7, 2009
A common community work tool is intervention which itself means to intervene, influence or alter a situation, event or set of circumstances, even as far as an environment or group. Oppression defined as: the negative outcome experienced by people targeted by the biased exercise of power in a society or social group can be affected by directed community work intervention.
A closer Analysis of Oppression
Not all forms of oppression are as obvious, most individuals would pause before answering the question “Do you feel, or have you experienced oppression?”
Contributing factors and concepts of oppression are racism, sexism, internalized oppression and colonialism.
Community workers have to be able to look at a community and see the various levels of stratification. This often isn’t an easy task to accomplish and not always completely accurate especially if no effort is made to actually speak with the people who reside in that particular community. Workers must identify the needs which are beneficial to various groups of people (young and old) within a community.
Oppression is not always obvious and easy to see, even for those who are being oppressed. One such form of underlying oppression is Internalized Oppression: when a community or group acts as if the oppressor’s values and belief system and way of life are reality. Even though this type of oppression isn’t often prevalent or tangible it is very powerful, and works within a self perpetuating cycle, the very people who are oppressed act out the very oppression keeping them down; upon each other.
How can Community Workers be more Effective?
Effective community worker intervention needs to rely on an understanding of people, their lives and circumstances and how to encourage them to help themselves to excel if they feel they need to. It’s not the job of an informal educator (community worker) to first cheapen the lives of communities by explaining that they appear oppressed and deprived; but to convey that as a community a cycle of oppression doesn’t have to be compounded and perpetuated.
Often a collection of individuals (a group or community) are not always openly made aware of their rights and or freedoms, and the mechanism of limiting information is one that oppressor's can use to effectively keep communities oppressed. The rise of Feminist groups and organisations such as the Black Panthers were ways for women and black people within the United States to gain power back from their oppressors, and are just two such examples of groups who have battled ultimately for their freedoms and rights.
Marxist Theories and their Importance
Marxist theories can be applied when talking about oppression. Marxism and its view on capitalism Vs communism and the methods of the capitalist to turn profit through the exploitation of the worker are relevant when discussing oppression. Capitalism is based on a small group or collection of companies (often called an oligopoly) who generate wealth for themselves often at the expense or detriment of the very people they employ to help create the profit in the first place. By giving incentives for labour, by way of bonuses, holidays, sick leave, maternity leave etcetera, to keep the worker happy. The capitalist can maintain a productive and oppressive environment which in many ways is acceptable as the oppressed often do little and remain within this said cycle.
Social/community groups especially ones that are based in inner city areas share a melting pot of factors in regards to race, gender, single/multi-parent families, employment, housing and education. These factors vary in relation to socio-economical standing and are elements that can be drawn upon and used when oppressing a community or group.
· Community Oppression is often obscure, but exists
· Power and oppression are linked but once a cycle of oppression is set in motion it no longer needs to be nurtured by an oppressor
· The oppressed become the oppressors of themselves
Aspiring community workers need to understand the key aspects of oppression and community work intervention, the need for positive social change and elements of powerlessness. This will aide in casting a different yet inquisitive eye on a community especially the one they work within.
 |
