essay titles about oppression

105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best oppression topic ideas & essay examples, ⭐ interesting topics to write about oppression, ✅ simple & easy oppression essay titles, ❓ questions about oppression.

• Five Faces of Oppression But if there is a way to break the culture and language barrier it is easier to have compassion on them and learn that they are not different from the members of the majority group.
• “The Color Purple”: Oppression and Pain of an African American Woman Adapted from Alice Walker’s novel by the same name, the movie delves into the life of a girl who was sexually abused by her father before being sold off to an irresponsible and cruel husband. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Struggle and Oppression of an African-American Woman in Ann Petry’s Novel “The Street“ In the US, the concept of blackness is the key idea that defines the social, political, and cultural position of African-Americans, both in past and present periods of history.
• “On Psychological Oppression” by Sandra Bartky Psychological oppression is to have a harsh dominion exercised over your self-esteem and make the victims their own oppressors.
• Black Women’s Oppression and Portrayal in Media This tone is less prominent for Group 3, who offers a more optimistic approach, exploring various attempts at mitigation of this situation and their successes, such as changes to the law, and extols the heroics […]
• Athlete (Roller Derby) Women and Oppression In the modern world, women can build networks and mobilize their resources to sustain the creativity, production, distribution, and promotion of rewards in efforts to transform traditional gender relations.
• Using of Oppression for Crushing Tutsis and Women Writers Among the strategies of oppression, Gourevitch singles out the Hutu Power group, which engaged in terrorist attacks and massacres. However, there is the problem of the extent to which the oppressor has control and how […]
• The Older Population’s Disparities and Oppression The relationships between the younger and the older populations introduce a problem of abuse and disparities between the two. To conclude, it is clear that the problem of oppression and abuse of the elderly population […]
• Privileges and Oppression Within Subordinate and Dominant Groups The Whites were “more devoted to order than to justice” and opted for “a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace, which is the presence of justice”.
• Being an Upstander in the Face of Oppression In this respect, the writer is emphasizing the fact that there is so much inaction and silence in the face of fundamental rights violations in every corner of the world.
• Women’s Inequality, Oppression and Well-Being From the perspective of natural and applied sciences, women’s equality and oppression are relevant to the issue of establishing gender equality in the sciences, which is a research-based challenge that has not been addressed yet.
• Oppression of Black and Chicana Women The only job they could get was in the kitchen of the white man. Generally, black and Chicana women faced a lot of discrimination and oppression before the mid-twentieth century.
• The Five Forces of Oppression in “Philadelphia” The central theme of Philadelphia is discrimination against the LGBT community and people who had HIV/AIDS back in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Breaking Oppression Barriers in Maya Angelou’s “Champion of the World” and Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks” Although it is not the initial goal of the author to specify the impact of family relationships, she still mentions that the store is the uncle’s property.
• Views on Female Oppression in Christianity Letter One of the reasons for female subordination in Christianity is the protection that is to be provided by fathers, brothers, and husbands.
• Systemic Oppression & Traditional Counseling Ethics My response in the past would be in favor of the law because I was not fully aware of the cultural aspects of counseling.
• Slave and Free Laborers: Advantages and Oppression The workers were obliged to work for the wages “the Company may fit to pay”; according to the contract they allowed the Company to deduct some per cent of the weekly wages “for the benefit […]
• Western Feminism as Fighters Against Oppression For postmodern feminists and post-colonial feminists, the second component of the new women’s ideology is the idea of the responsibility of the state to rule and administer both genders on the basis of their interpretation […]
• Intersectionality Oppression and Discrimination in Latin America One of the major reasons for the intersectionality is lack of awareness. Class intersectionality means discrimination based on the class of the people.
• Sweatshop Warriors Fighting Against Oppression The analysis will aim to answer several questions regarding the gains from the book from a historian’s perspective, the events on which the work shed light, the point of view on the events, the accuracy […]
• Masculinity as a Gender Oppression and Inequality Consequently, men address their aggression as a means to demonstrate their contradictions, and women believe that their aggressive behaviors can provide them with the necessary powers.
• Female Body Conceptions and Cultural Oppression The failure to conform to the expectations of a male or female in terms of behavior and expression of identity often attracts social sanctions.
• Religious Oppression in Multicultural Curriculum Multicultural education encompasses such critical issues the consideration of which is crucial for the harmonious life of society. Table 1 reviews a diversity curriculum aimed at investigating the topic of religious oppression.
• Religious Oppression in the Medical Field In this way, regardless of living in the modern world that moves in the direction of eliminating borders between nations, the problem of religious oppression in the medical field is complicated to overcome.
• African Americans’ Oppression and Stereotypes Moreover, the paper will provide insight into the role of social workers in the process of handling these challenges and determine the benefits of this experience for the further professional activities.
• Systemic Oppression and Racial Inequality The purpose of the present paper is to review and evaluate the arguments presented by the authors writing about the concepts of racial inequality and oppression.
• Oppression From Anne Bishop’s Perspective In their book, Bishop identifies some of the root causes of the biases that lead to the oppression perpetrated against some people in society.
• Misogyny and Homophobia as Oppression Tools In the US, Black Americans are exemplified by relatively high levels of misogyny and homophobia for the reason that they promote their own oppression, which is mainly attributed to their failure to study their history.
• Multicultural Education: Freedom or Oppression It is apparent that the level of school dropouts in the education system is still affecting the minority in the society.
• Different Examples of Oppression Oppression is not a new term in the country. This paper serves as an informant, showing that oppression is prevalent in many parts of the world.
• Themes of Racial Oppression in Langston Hughes’s Works The tone of the poem is one of anger and, at the same time, pride. The message that the reader is left with is that the singer discussed in the poem had died deep down […]
• Oppression, Sexual Harassment, and Employment Also one always have a guilt conscience and his or her social and sexual life is usually affected as most of the victims may opt never to be involved in sexual acts or develop phobia.
• The Oppression of Social Groups in British Literature In literature, writing back is a style where authors use their experiences and historical time lines to bring into light some of the cross cutting social issues within the context of the society of the […]
• The Oppression and Seclusion of Muslim Women According to them, the Quran and Sharia laws provide parameters on the behavior of the men and women in marriage institutions.
• Ethnicity: Oppression and Racism Some of the instances that can be compared to the bars of the cage include scenarios where the people who are oppressed assume that nothing is happening, and participate in their oppression either directly or […]
• Oppression of Women’s Rights Affects the Economy of the Middle East For instance in Iceland, the high level of quality of life and health is one of the factors that lead to a GDP per capita of $54,291 On the contrary, there are situations where women […]
• Ruth Almog on Oppression and Liberty The story of a young girl growing up in the midst of problems is a good platform for Ruth Almog’s explanation and emphasis on the many ways of oppression.
• Resisting the Oppression: “Sophie Scholl and the White Rose” The main theme in the story of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose is resistance and oppression. They depend on the accounts of Hans and Sophie Scholl and the letters they wrote.
• Liberation and Oppression in Ruth Almog’s Writing In the work of Jewish writers Ruth Almog and David Fogel the themes of liberation and oppression take the forefront. As an oppressed child, the daughter of immigrants whose life has already been touched by […]
• Three Ways of Meeting Oppression While it is true that a certain degree of healthy competition encourages people to be more proactive and diligent however the fact remains that the current type of societal competition that is currently being advocated […]
• The Relationship Between Historical Oppression and Perceptions of Police
• British Oppression: The Cause of the American Revolution
• Oppression and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons
• Identity and Altruism: The Moral Basis of Prosperity and Oppression
• Legal and Social Equality: The Struggle Against Oppression and Bigotry
• Change Against Racial Oppression and Martin Luther King
• Anti-semitic Violence and Oppression, Jewish Men and Women
• Internet Freedom and Political Oppression
• Human Rights and Justice: Forms and Mechanisms of Oppression
• Female Stereotypes the Cause of Women’s Oppression
• Ethnocentrism, Oppression, and Discrimination
• Altruism, Other-Regarding Behavior, and Identity: The Moral Basis of Prosperity and Oppression
• Freedom, Patriarchy, and Racial Oppression
• African American Community, Important Theories of Psychology, and the Causes and Effects of Neglect and Oppression
• Educational Public Policies and the Systematic Oppression of Minories in the US
• Liberty, Property, Security, and Resistance to Oppression
• Feminism and Institutional Oppression
• Body Image and Women’s Oppression
• Adult Education Choices and Oppression of Muslim Women
• Identity and Oppression: Issues and Struggles
• Personal Choices: Immigrants Desperately Running Away From Conflict or Oppression
• Nonviolent Resistance: Best Way of Dealing With Oppression
• Capitalism, Globalization and the Perpetuation of Women’s Oppression: A Vicious Cycle
• Education Oppression and Social Intervention
• Apartheid: Systematic and Intention Oppression
• Mental Health Therapy and Social Oppression
• Liberation Theology: Saving People of Color From Oppression
• Citizen Journalism and Government Oppression
• Discrimination and Oppression Throughout History: Motifs and Reasons
• Oppression: Psychological Abuse and Nonviolent Resistance
• Cultural Oppression and Economic Exploitation
• Class Oppression: The Key to Social Control
• Church Oppression and the Heliocentric Theory of Galileo
• Economic and Sexual Oppression of Female Slaves
• Religious Oppression and Religious Persecution
• Social Class Discrimination and Economic Oppression
• Gender, Ethnicity, and Class as Parts of Systems of Oppression
• Critical Pedagogy: The Study of Oppression in Education
• Metaphorical and Literal Prison: The Concept of Oppression
• Gender Identity and Gender Oppression
• What Oppression Means?
• How Do Women Fight Inequality and Oppression?
• What Are the Types of Oppression?
• Did Colonialism Contribute Oppression?
• What Are Some Examples of Oppression in Education?
• How Did Black Oppression Begin in America?
• Who Is an Oppressed Person?
• What Was the Oppression of Slavery in the 19th Century?
• What Is Oppressive Behavior?
• How Gerda Weissman Klein Faced Oppression in the Holocaust?
• How Can Oppression Be Stopped?
• What Are the Side Effects of Oppression?
• What Are the Ways to Meet Oppression?
• How Can Childcare Workers Deal With the Effects of Oppression?
• What Is the Goal of Oppression?
• What Is Exploitation Oppression?
• Who Are the Targets of Oppression?
• What Are the Tactics of Oppression?
• How Can One Break the Cycle of Oppression?
• How Does Oppression Occur in Society?
• What Are the Privileges of Victims of Oppression?
• What Are the Key Elements of Oppression?
• Who Are the Victims of Oppression?
• What Is Differential Oppression?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/oppression-essay-topics/

"105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 2 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/oppression-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 2 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/oppression-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/oppression-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "105 Oppression Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/oppression-essay-topics/.

• African Diaspora Ideas
• Bisexual Essay Titles
• Antisemitism Essay Titles
• Cuban Revolution Ideas
• Social Norms Essay Ideas
• Apartheid Essay Topics
• Trail Of Tears Essay Ideas
• Gender Roles Paper Topics
• Sexism Essay Ideas
• Transgender Paper Topics
• Bourgeoisie Essay Titles
• Tyranny Research Topics
• Stereotype Topics
• Bill of Rights Research Ideas
• Fascism Questions

116 Oppression Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on oppression, 👍 good oppression research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting oppression research titles, 💡 simple oppression essay ideas, ❓ questions about oppression.

• Themes of Oppression and Imperialism in Literature
• Sexual-Orientation Oppression in “Now That I Am Forever with Child” and “Condition XXI”
• Martin Luther King’s Three Ways to Meet Oppression
• Critical Reflection of Personal Privileges, Social Location, and Oppression for a Sociologist Learner
• Oppression as a Social Problem
• Marriage Oppression and Freedom Signs
• Oppression of African Americans in the Selma Film
• Social Theory. Religion as a Tool for Social Oppression There can be no doubt as to the fact that religion played an important role in shaping up socio-political realities, ever since the dawn of history.
• Religious Oppression: Pluralism Understanding Today, different religions can coexist in the modern world, and this phenomenon can be defined as religious pluralism since a diverse array of religions is accepted.
• “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman as a Symbol of Oppression The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story about a woman feeling trapped and suffering because of her isolation.
• Structural Oppression, Marginalization and Alienation Structural oppression, marginalization and alienation exist in the present day. An example is the exclusion and segregation of African Americans in the United States.
• Oppression of Women in Education, Workplace, and Politics Patriarchal ideology is one factor that nurtures the oppression of women in different socioeconomic and political spheres, thereby promoting gender inequality.
• Oppression of Women in Saudi Arabia Changes are possible and feminist activists should be encouraged to push for a more self-sufficient image of an Islamic woman, incorporating the Iranian experience.
• History, Oppression and Human Rights Violation in India The caste system is not entirely eliminated and still exists in modern-day India expressed in property ownership and governance.
• Systemic Oppression Impact Discussion At the heart of all systemic oppression are centuries of laws, policies, and actions meant to better and advance one group at the expense and detriment of another disadvantaged group.
• Transnational Feminism and Oppression The “four “I’s” of oppression” provide a set of four kinds of repression that women suffer due to their gender and association with male-dominated societies.
• Patriots’ Civic Engagement Against British Oppression This paper examined how patriots used civic engagement to move to their final goal of eliminating British oppression and establishing their own government.
• The Gilded Age and Modern Oppression of African Americans The continuing killings of African Americans by the police show that there is still a problem with the fair treatment of black people in the country.
• Internalized Racial Oppression in Students People have different identities that they associate with, be it religious, cultural, or national, but the most important is the racial and ethnic identity.
• Racism and Oppression in “Native Son” by Wright The book Native Son is an engaging book by Wright that gives astonishing accounts relating to racism, segregation, and oppression.
• Civilization and Oppression in World Literature This paper aims to explore oppression and being civilized or uncivilized in relation to three literary works: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Tempest, and Heart of Darkness.
• Effect of Racial Oppression on Psychological Development Racial oppression refers to integrating political power that discriminates against a predominant group, such as blacks in America.
• Resistance to Oppression in Glaspell’s “Trifles” and Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun Dramas The individuals in A Raisin in the Sun encounter numerous challenges due to racial discrimination while those in Trifles face the predicaments of gender-based abuse and torture.
• Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter: The Fight Against Black Oppression Two documents are essential to American history of the fight against black oppression: a letter to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his response.
• Feminism Oppression in Islam This essay looks into feminism oppression in Islam in the modern world. It will analyze what the term modern feminist means and then take a look at feminist oppression in Islam.
• Identity Politics and “Interlocking” Oppression Identity politics is the cause of the formation of racialized political systems and power relations, and corporate capitalism in the contemporary world systems.
• Skin Color as Reason for Oppression and Discrimination As soon as people understand why skin color can no longer be the reason for oppression and discrimination, they realize how many beautiful outcomes of their relationships exist.
• Palestinian Oppression: The Role of Media Oppression encompasses 5 categories that are often ignored by media and news channels and involve exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence.
• Women as Oppression Victims in American Literature This paper is attempting to unveil, is the representation of women’s oppression through the stories’ main characters, Mama and Mrs. Wright.
• The Response of the American Society Against Oppression There were several responses form the American society towards the oppression. However, it was clear that oppression existed even before the World War 2.
• Patriarchal Oppression in Chopin’s Feminist Works The works of Kate Chopin, a prominent American writer, traditionally focus on women’s biased position in marriage.
• Feminism, Oppression, Masculinity, and Homophobia Feminism, a relatively new movement in the history of social, political, and philosophical thought, has found an important place in modern social studies.
• Racial Oppression in the United States Our society seems to be more accepting of certain immigrant groups versus others, and the reason for such division lies in religious diversity.
• Racial Oppression: The Scenario of Jim This reflection paper will focus on the scenario of Jim, a young man that unwillingly offended two African American men who were sitting in a car in the empty parking lot late in the evening.
• A Social Worker’s Reflections on Power, Privilege and Oppression In his A Social Worker’s Reflections on Power, Privilege, and Oppression, Spencer involves the challenges that social workers encounter under oppressive systems of power.
• The Issue of Class Oppression Among African Americans The years of slavery in the USA provoked a lot of social problems and contradictions which were not resolved even after the years of the Civil War.
• Galileo’s Heliocentric Theory and Its Oppression by the Church
• Oppression and Its Effect on Social and Economic Justice
• Female Oppression Within The Bible
• Oppression and Spiritual Deterioration in William Blake’s Poem London
• Setting, Symbolism, and Oppression of Women in the Yellow
• The Events That Led to the Fight against Spanish Oppression in Cuban Revolution
• Does the Contemporary Image of Africa Have Its Roots in Colonial Oppression?
• Sexual Oppression against Women in a Short Story by Margaret Atwood
• Nora’s Rebellion and Dealing With Oppression in a Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
• Patriarchal Oppression and Cultural Discrimination in Jane Eyre and the Wide Sargasso Sea
• Racial Prejudice and Oppression in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Mennonites Flee Europe’s Oppression to Suffer the Same in Canada
• Irish Oppression and Modern Parallels in a Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
• Oppression and Sexism among Women in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Ancient Maya
• The Holocaust and Jewish Oppression 1933-1945
• Women’s Oppression and Patriarchal System in Raise the Red Lantern, a Chinese Movie
• Mexican American Women and Oppression
• Intersectional Identities and Experiences of Privilege and Oppression
• Psychological Warfare and Local Fear-Based Oppression in the United States
• Native American Oppression against Native Americans
• The Gender Oppression Experienced by Nancy Shippen in America
• Rediscovering the Dark Ages and Beyond: The Christian Oppression of Ancient Writings
• Male Dominance and Female Oppression in a Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Black American Women and Interlocking Oppression
• Human Rights and Justice: Forms and Mechanisms of Oppression
• Oppression and Class Warfare Exposed in Dr. Howard Zinn’s a People’s History of the United States
• The Political and Economic Oppression of North Korean Citizens
• Freedom, Patriarchy, and Racial Oppression
• Homoeroticism and Sexual Oppression in the Picture of Dorian Gray
• Can White Heterosexual Males Understand Oppression?
• Racial Oppression and Counseling a Client from an Ethnic Minority
• Pornography and the Media Contribute to the Oppression of Women
• How Colonialism Resonated with Gender Roles and Oppression?
• The Endured Struggles and Oppression of Native Americans
• Identity Formation and Oppression of Muslim Culture
• Oppression in the Middle Eastern and Central Asian Countries
• Muslim Women: Treated with Oppression or Fairness?
• Nat Turner’s Bloody Rebellion: Freedom Out of Oppression or Mad-Man Gone Astray?
• Native Americans: Five Hundred Years of Racism and Oppression
• Social Class Discrimination and Economic Oppression
• How Women Are Oppression in Islam?
• The Social and Mainly Economic Oppression Faced by Blacks
• Racial and Economic Oppression within the United States
• Metaphorical and Literal Prison: The Concept of Oppression
• Nineteenth-Century Social Protest Literature outside England Criticism: Oppression Revealed
• The Many References That Link to the Oppression of Women in the Play Antigone
• How Gerda Weissman Klein Faced Oppression in the Holocaust?
• Gender, Ethnicity, and Class Are Not Separate Systems of Oppression
• Women, Oppression, and Treatment of Young Girls and Women
• The Objectification and Oppression of Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s Play Hamlet
• What Was the Oppression of the Cuban Revolution?
• Does Democracy Promote the Development of Science and Technology More Than Tyrannical and Oppressive Regimes?
• How Do Poverty and Oppression Affect Diabetes Susceptibility?
• What Key Legislative and Court Cases Contributed to the Oppression of Black Americans?
• Which Population Groups Are Most Often Oppressed?
• How Do Feminist Theories Explain the Reasons for the Oppression of Women?
• What Is Paulo Freire’s Oppressed Group Behavior Theory?
• How Can Social Workers Navigate Societal Forms of Oppression With Their Clients?
• How Can a Vulnerable Population Be Oppressed?
• Is Oppression the Reason People Immigrate to the United States?
• How Can the United States Prevent Discrimination and Oppression of Native Americans?
• Does Anarchism Cause Oppression?
• How Do Racism and Classism Interrelate Systems of Oppression?
• How Might Oppression or Privilege Influence One’s Identity Development?
• Did Arab Spring Bring Democracy or More Tyrannical Oppression?
• What Does Oppression Mean in Social Work?
• How Does Oppression Affect the Social Functioning of Marginalized Groups?
• Where Do Oppression and Depravity of a Man Stem From According to Islam?
• How Oppression Is Portrayed in the Media?
• Did Islam Oppress Christianity Before the Crusades?
• How Does White Privilege Lead To Oppression?
• What Is Pedagogy of the Oppressed?
• How Does the Nature of Power Relationships Between Men and Women Create an Environment for Social Oppression?
• How Did Kings Oppress the Serfs in the Feudal System?
• How Does “The Handmaid’s Tale” Deal With Women’s Oppression?
• Is There a Humane Way to Resist Oppressive Governments?
• How Does the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Class Result in Some Being More Oppressed Than Others?
• How Is the Oppression Offset Calculated?
• What Is the Difference Between Discrimination and Oppression?
• Is Cultural Appropriation the Objectification of an Oppressed Population?

Cite this post

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2022, August 27). 116 Oppression Essay Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/oppression-essay-topics/

"116 Oppression Essay Topics." StudyCorgi , 27 Aug. 2022, studycorgi.com/ideas/oppression-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . (2022) '116 Oppression Essay Topics'. 27 August.

1. StudyCorgi . "116 Oppression Essay Topics." August 27, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/oppression-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "116 Oppression Essay Topics." August 27, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/oppression-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "116 Oppression Essay Topics." August 27, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/oppression-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Oppression were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on December 26, 2023 .

Oppression Essay Topics & Ideas

• Informative Essay Topics About Oppression
• Oppression Essay Topics for College Students

Oppression Essay Topics for High School Students

Oppression compare and contrast essay topics, argumentative essay topics about oppression, ✒️ informative essay topics about oppression.

• “The Good Earth”: The Oppression of Women
• “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: The Use of Symbolism, Foreshadowing and Irony to Show Female Oppression
• A Battle that Never Ends: Fighting Injustice as a Result of Class Oppression
• A Child’s View: Adult Oppression in “The Catcher in The Rye” and “The Member of The Wedding”
• A Reflection on Oppression and Privilege
• A Review of Women’s Oppression in The Works of Marjane Satrapi
• A Study of The Theme of Oppression in The Scarlet Letter
• Aboriginal Stolen Generation as Oppression in Australia
• African Americans’ Oppression and Stereotypes Research
• An Entangled Hopeless Life in Oppression
• An Essay on the Oppression of Women in America
• Analysis Of Oppression in Black Like Me
• Analysis of The Language Used in Early Commercial Rap Music of The 1980s and 1990s as a Cultural Response to The Socioeconomic Oppression Plaguing The Black Community
• Are Social Norms a Form of Oppression or a Necessity?IntroductionSocial norms can
• Black Oppression in America: Jim Crow Laws to Today’s Society
• Black Oppression in Preceding Apartheid as Depicted in Mine Boy
• Black Women’s Oppression and Portrayal in Media
• Breaking Oppression Barriers in Maya Angelou’s “Champion of the World” and Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks”
• Deadly Patriarchy and The Role of Familial Oppression and Silence in Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Depiction of Oppression in The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• Depiction of Oppression Towards Women in The Haunting of Hill House
• Depiction of Systemic Oppression in Pop Culture: Analysis of Movies

✨ Best oppression Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

• Corset: Instrument of Oppression or Power The Corset: Instrument of Oppression or Power “I must tell you something of significance. Fashion is always of the time in which you live. It is not something standing alone. The problem of fashion in 1925 was different. Women were just beginning to ….
• Response to Oppression These individuals left a mark through their works awakening the rebellious spirit in those who suffered the cruelty of the oppressive systems. The writers who marked the early American Literature period revealed their thoughts about the oppression ….
• Dynamics of Oppression & Discrimination On the first day of this class I did what I believe is typical for new graduate students–I immediately turned to the syllabus to see how I would be graded, and on what assignments. I have to be honest with you, when I read the first Journal ….
• Native American Oppression Outline Outline Thesis: What if you, your family and friends have lived in the same location ever since it was first inhabited. This is your home, your land, where your culture has thrived. Then all of a sudden, a foreign group of people whom you have never ….
• Latin America: A Legacy of Oppression When the Europeans first arrived in Latin America, they didn’t realize the immensity of their actions. As history has proven, the Europeans have imposed many things on the Latin American territory have had a long, devastating effect on the ….
• Challenging Oppression in Societies We should all be feminists explores the struggle against patriarchy as an essential part of the class struggle of oppression and inequality. The narrative does this by capturing the narrator’s personal experiences in patriarchal social spaces of ….
• What Causes Women’s Oppression Throughout the years females have undergone tremendous amounts of oppression. From their limited roles in society, to the confinements at home, women were seen nothing more than the lesser sex. Compared to males we were the inferior gender, in terms ….
• Legal and Social Equality: The Struggle Against Oppression and Bigotry The Struggle Against Oppression and BigotryBrief IntroductionThe law states that the legal and social equality is a form of emancipation of people from the bondage of injustice and usurpation of individual rights. These individual rights co-exist in ….
• The New Age of Oppression On April 30, 2014, Dontre Hamilton was fatally shot by a police officer for being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The officer was not charged. On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was put in an illegal chokehold by a police officer for selling loose ….
• The Oppression of Women in Society Naturalism is a literary movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in America, England, and France that produced a type of “realistic” fiction, but it was not realism exactly. It created a mode of representation that is detailed, ….
• The Oppression of Women in Advertising The Oppression of Females in Advertising in our society is a complex collection of institutions, status, roles, values, and norms, and the best way to understand and learn about them is through the use of cultural artifacts. These can be anything ….
• Impact of Cultural Upbringing on Oppression and Equality “No one else is free while others are oppressed”, states Martin L. King. It is an essential claim that women are oppressed. What is oppression? Oppression is the subjugation by one group to another group. By being oppressed you are being denied your ….
• Women Under Absolute Patriarchy and Oppression in “Handmaid’s Tale” Margaret Atwood’s novel is a fiction that depicts the power of women in resisting oppression and domination in an extremely patriarchal society. Despite the odds against women, they show resilience and will to end the Christian theocracy that has ….
• Sexual Oppression in a Handmaid’s Tale Oppression, by definition, refers to an authoritarian system that controls its citizens by denying certain individuals purposeful human rights. It’s a type of injustice that prevents people from being equal. Sexual oppression of women has ….
• Wearing a Uniform of Oppression Wearing a Uniform of Oppression Having lived my whole life by the teachings of the Islamic faith, I understand the appreciations and values associated with the Hijab. However, also living in Canada, a pro-western society, I also see how some might ….
• Resistance to Oppression In a critical perspective, it may appear as an empty rhetoric to pursue the right of the resistance to oppression in the context of human rights. A dilemma exists that concerns the relationship between criminal responsibility and human rights. ….
• Hammurabi’s Code: Oppression of Women Throughout most of history women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were regarded as women’s most significant job. Money was used to buy and sell women like slaves. And men were given the ….

✍ Oppression Essay Topics for College Students

• Describe The theme of oppression
• Different Examples of Oppression
• Discourse and Oppression in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
• Donald Trump and Joe Biden on Oppression
• Ethnicity: Oppression and Racism
• Female Body Conceptions and Cultural Oppression Research
• Feminism and Institutional Oppression
• Fighting Against The Female Oppression in “Sardines” by Nuruddin Farah
• Five Faces of Oppression Analytical
• Gender Oppression According to Saadawi’s Memoirs of a Woman Doctor
• Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
• Heights of Oppression
• How Are Oppression and Repression Represented in Hedda Gabler?
• How Colonialism Resonated with Gender Roles and Oppression
• How does Margret Atwood use language as a tool of oppression in the novel ‘the Handmaid’s Tale’?
• How Oppression Provokes The Revolutionary Reaction of The Oppressed in Rice by Manuel Anguilla
• How The Black Oppression Started in America
• Intersectionality Oppression and Discrimination in Latin America
• Invisible Man, a Novel by Ralph Ellison: a Study of The Character Tod Clifton as a Sign of Oppression and The Plight of Blacks
• Irish Oppression and Modern Parallels in A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
• Jim Crow – a Symbol for Racial Oppression of African Americans
• Learning from History in Order to Combat Oppression in Kindred by Octavia Butler
• Liberation and Oppression in Ruth Almog’s writing
• Liberty, Property, Security, and Resistance to Oppression
• Malcolm X: The Freedom Fighter of Black Oppression
• Many Faces of Oppression
• Marginalization and Oppression in Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• Marxism and Oppression
• Masculinity as a Gender Oppression and Inequality
• Metaphorical and Literal Prison: The Concept of Oppression
• Mexican american women and oppression
• Misogyny and Homophobia as an Oppression Tool Case Study
• Multicultural Education: Freedom or Oppression Essay (Critical Writing)
• Native American Oppression in North America
• Oppression among First Nation People: Canada
• Oppression and Dehumanization in George Orwell’s 1984
• Oppression and Freedom of Frederick Douglass
• Oppression and How to Deal with It in “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”
• Oppression and Isolation in Land of Green Plums
• Oppression and Metaphorical Rhetoric in Black Boy
• Oppression and Relationship in The Lemon Tree
• Oppression From Anne Bishop’s Perspective Report (Assessment)
• Oppression in A Tale of Two Cities
• Oppression in American History and Nowadays
• Oppression in Novel “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi
• Oppression of First Nation People
• Oppression of Minorities in Modern Society
• Oppression of The Poor by The Rich in “Metropolis”
• Oppression Of Woman The Yellow Wallpaper English Literature
• Oppression of Women: The Oldest Injustice in Human History
• Oppression of Women’s Rights Affects the Economy of the Middle East Research
• Oppression Remedy vs Derivative Action
• Overcoming Oppression in The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• Patriarchal Oppression in The Industrial Gothic
• Portrayal of Social Oppression of Women in Trifles by Susan Glaspell
• Portrayal of Women Oppression in The Film Iron Jawed Angels
• Psychological Warfare and Local Fear Based Oppression in The United States
• Racism and Oppression of American Indians in The United States
• Reactions to Patriarchal Oppression in Jane Eyre
• Religion a tool of oppression
• Religious Oppression in Multicultural Curriculum
• Religious Oppression in the Medical Field Research
• Ruth Almog on Oppression and Liberty
• Slave and Free Laborers: Advantages and Oppression
• Struggle and Oppression of an African-American Woman in Ann Petry’s Novel “The Street“
• Sweatshop Warriors Fighting Against Oppression Essay (Book Review)
• Systemic Oppression & Traditional Counseling Ethics
• Systemic Oppression and Racial Inequality
• The Black American Oppression in The United States
• The Case of Myths and Oppression in The Handmaid’s Tale
• The Color Purple: Oppression and Pain of an African American Woman Essay (Movie Review)
• The Deep-rooted Psychological Thoughts of The Oppression of Women
• The Evolution of Divergent Forms of Oppression in Sherman Alexi’s Novel
• The Issue of Double Consciousness and Female Oppression in The Works of Janice Mirikitani and Louise Erdrich
• The Issue of Gender Oppression in America
• The Odyssey: How The Distribution of Power Impacts Societal Order, Equity, and The Oppression
• The Oppression and Seclusion of Muslim Women
• The Oppression of Social Groups in British Literature
• The Oppression of Women as Women
• The oppression of women since biblical times
• The Role of Systemic Oppression in Shaping Civil Wars
• The Trails of Oppression and Life
• The Unjustified Treatment of Women and Expression of The Oppression of Them in The 19th Century
• The War Against Oppression Represented in Claude Mckay’s if We Must Die
• Themes of Racial Oppression in Langston Hughes’s Works
• Three Ways of Meeting Oppression
• Tituba, Black Witch of Salem: Oppression and Feminism
• Understanding Internalized Oppression
• Unvacant Vessels: Women’s Oppression in “Persepolis” and in Recent Nonfiction
• Views on Female Oppression in Christianity Letter Essay (Article)
• Western Feminism as Fighters Against Oppression
• Why Censorship is Always About Oppression
• Women’s Oppression and The Theme of Female Independence of Shakespeare
• Women’s Oppression in Iron Jawed Angels

Get a Quality Essay on Your Topic

Other Topics

• Happiness Essay Topics & Ideas
• Motivation Essay Topics & Ideas
• Argumentative Essay Topics About Animals
• Life Changing Experience Essay Ideas
• Prejudice Essay Topics & Ideas

Hi, my name is Amy 👋

In case you can't find a relevant example, our professional writers are ready to help you write a unique paper. Just talk to our smart assistant Amy and she'll connect you with the best match.

• Entertainment
• Environment
• Information Science and Technology
• Social Issues

Home Essay Samples History

Essay Samples on Oppression

Exploring oppression in 'disgrace' and 'the handmaid’s tale'.

Introduction 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'Disgrace' focus on oppression’s grip on the human mind and spirit and how this affects hope. In Disgrace, Coetzee’s characters are more successful in suppressing the individuality and identity of women as he explicitly uses the female body to express...

• Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
• The Handmaid's Tale

Depiction of Black People in 'Cry, the Beloved Country'

Introduction Between white and black individuals there has been a thought black people are worse than white people. Black and white people are both equal and we should not view them as different just because one has darker or lighter skin than the other. We...

• Cry, the Beloved Country

Addressing Contemporary Racism In The U.s.

“The American Dream” is one of the many reasons as to why so many people from all over the world are so attracted to The United States. It is home to more than 45.5 million immigrants and it is the country with the highest number...

• Trail of Tears

Comparison of the Themes of Oppression and Slavery in American Literary Works

Equality is something that United States is seen as a representation of, yet has been unable to deliver to its own people. The United States of America was founded on the ideas of freedom, liberty, and justice for all; however, these ideas have only been...

• African American
• Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass

Struggles Olaudah Equiano Had to Go Through Depicted in His Own Autobiography

Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography illustrates many of the cruel conditions slaves were forced to endure in the 1700’s. Equiano was at a young age when he was kidnapped and separated from his family into slavery. At the start of his slave journey, Equiano was oppressed by...

• Olaudah Equiano

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

• 100% unique papers
• 3 hrs deadline option

Depiction of the Oppression Under the Rule Of Taliban in The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

In this historical fiction trilogy, ‘The Breadwinner’ by Deborah Ellis, eleven year old Parvana poses as a boy to help her family survive, while her father is in prison. She must earn money to feed her family. Parvana sells items that belongs to the family,...

• The Breadwinner

What Fourth of July Is to the Slave: Frederick Douglass' Speech

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free. Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery”. In the speech, “What to the Slave...

• 4Th of July
• Frederick Douglass

The Voice of the Oppressed in Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Many say that literature is a voice for the oppressed. Marjane Satrapi backs this statement up in her graphic novel, Persepolis, in which she show how children, women and certain social classes were marginalized, excluded and silenced during the Islamic revolution in Iran throughout the...

• Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
• Social Inequality

Vindication of the Right of Saudi Arabian Women

In this paper, I will argue for the right of Saudi Arabian women. They deserve equal rights to men, including freedom to dress as they like and freedom to be involved with equal opportunities. The hindering of these rights have put a tremendous hold on...

• Saudi Arabia
• Vindication of The Rights of Women

Alice Walker: Making a Voice Known in a World of Oppression

Throughout history, the topic of racial and gender discrimination in America has been heavily discussed and researched. As Anderson and Collins state, “Sex, gender, race, sexual identity, and class profoundly influence individuals’ knowledge, experience, and opportunities” (qtd. in Tahir). It is not hard to see...

• Alice Walker
• The Color Purple

The Awareness of Interconnection between Race and Sexuality

In contemporary societies race is more discussed than ever before and it is critical to think about the differences which individuals have between them to acknowledge the causes of conflicts, search for practical ways to solve them and eventually promote peace and tolerance between nations....

• Race and Sexuality

Issues of Modern African Households in Purple Hibiscus

A well-written piece of African literature set against post-colonial Nigeria exploring a variety of themes prevalent to modern African households. We explore this book through the eyes of the 15-year protagonist Kambili on her coming of age of alongside her brother Jaja. Both the characters...

• Purple Hibiscus

The Theme of Oppression in the Novel "Persepolis'"

Oppression expresses an authority over another group, disengaging that specific group from the rest of society. This concept is particularly apparent in Marjane Satrapi’s childhood graphic memoir “Persepolis,” a story set in Iran during the 1980s recounting the strong political turmoil caused by the Iranian...

Black Oppression in America: Jim Crow Laws to Today’s Society

The project will include how black men and women have struggled and fought for equal rights under Jim Crow laws, segregation, and police brutality from then to now. It will also include the racially prejudice occurrences from 1876 compared to current events in our more...

• African American History
• Jim Crow Laws

Racial Oppression and Discrimination Combined with Race Theory

Introduction Racial oppression and discrimination are identified as a prominent and critically vital subject in the American lives and all through the American history. Over 150 years following the 13th Amendment obliterated slavery in America, majority of the American citizens claim that the legacy and...

• White Privilege

Marilyn Frye's Characterization of Oppression

In the following paper, I will critically discuss Frye’s account of oppression by first examining its strengths, and subsequently proposing a possible challenge requiring an alteration of her conception. This essay will generally argue in support of Frye’s account, particularly due to its ability to...

• Critical Theory
• Gender Equality

The Prevelence of Gender Oppression in Patriarchal Society

Privilege and oppression are the two sides of the same coin that sometimes acts to supplement each other. What does oppression mean? Can a privileged person truly ever understand the facets and consequences of oppression? Does it ever concern privileged sections when they perceive the...

• Gender Discrimination

Birth Control as an Example of Male Oppression in Politics

Since the 1500’s young women were conceiving children at a young age. This occurred all around the world in many different countries with and without the consent of the young woman. In today’s world, young women beginning from the age of 15-19 are still conceiving...

• American Government
• Birth Control

Anti-Chinese Oppression and Rise of Chinese Immigration in US

The milestones of economic, social, and political success that has come from a minority group has proven to be one of the most important mass immigration forces in Chinese-US relations history. Anti-Chinese hysteria, although still prominent in today’s US culture, was even more deplorable in...

• Immigration in America

Faith And Solidarity: Oppression On The Basis Of Sexuality, Gender Or Race

Without faith, an equal trust of similar beliefs among individuals, the concept of solidarity within a population is not possible. Having faith in individuals who also have faith in you brings about solidarity: strongly identifying with others through shared humanity. Catholicism, as well as other...

Analysis Of "Confessions Of A Woman Who Burnt Down A Town"

“Confessions of a woman who burnt down a town” is a poem which tells the story of a Black slave who is guilty for burning down much of her town. It gives us a glimpse of just how bad slaves were treated in the 1700s....

• Human Behavior

Best topics on Oppression

1. Exploring Oppression in ‘Disgrace’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

2. Depiction of Black People in ‘Cry, the Beloved Country’

3. Addressing Contemporary Racism In The U.s.

4. Comparison of the Themes of Oppression and Slavery in American Literary Works

5. Struggles Olaudah Equiano Had to Go Through Depicted in His Own Autobiography

6. Depiction of the Oppression Under the Rule Of Taliban in The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

7. What Fourth of July Is to the Slave: Frederick Douglass’ Speech

8. The Voice of the Oppressed in Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

9. Vindication of the Right of Saudi Arabian Women

10. Alice Walker: Making a Voice Known in a World of Oppression

11. The Awareness of Interconnection between Race and Sexuality

12. Issues of Modern African Households in Purple Hibiscus

13. The Theme of Oppression in the Novel “Persepolis'”

14. Black Oppression in America: Jim Crow Laws to Today’s Society

15. Racial Oppression and Discrimination Combined with Race Theory

• American History
• Civil Rights
• Monroe Doctrine
• Abigail Adams
• Christopher Columbus
• Augustus Caesar
• The New Deal
• Adolf Hitler

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

Beyond Intractability

The Hyper-Polarization Challenge to the Conflict Resolution Field: A Joint BI/CRQ Discussion BI and the Conflict Resolution Quarterly invite you to participate in an online exploration of what those with conflict and peacebuilding expertise can do to help defend liberal democracies and encourage them live up to their ideals.

Follow BI and the Hyper-Polarization Discussion on BI's New Substack Newsletter .

Hyper-Polarization, COVID, Racism, and the Constructive Conflict Initiative Read about (and contribute to) the  Constructive Conflict Initiative  and its associated Blog —our effort to assemble what we collectively know about how to move beyond our hyperpolarized politics and start solving society's problems. 

By Heidi Burgess

March 2005, updated in June 2017, and again in July 2020.  

Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. Racial and religious conflicts; conflicts between dictatorial governments and their citizens; the battle between the sexes; conflicts between management and labor; between heterosexuals and homosexuals, between liberals and conservatives,  all stem, in whole or in part, to oppression or perceived oppression.

In 2017, conflicts between religion and races seemed to be on the significant increase, both in the U.S. and abroad. Many (on both sides) were talking about a serious conflict between "the West" (mostly Christian) and Islam. The conflict between Jews (mostly in Israel) and Muslims has a long, extremely intractable, history.  The conflict in Syria is one of oppression based on religion (among other things), and the migration that has caused has spawned oppression of minorities in many other countries as well. In the United States, race, immigration, and resentment of elites were big factors in the 2016 Presidential election, as working-class whites, long feeling oppressed by the liberal elite, lashed back by electing a President, who, though extremely rich, they still viewed as "one of their own," or at least one who wouldn't oppress whites, as they believed President Obama and other liberals before him had done.

Now in the summer of 2020, racial conflict has boiled over again with the high-profile police killing of an unarmed Black man in Minnesota.  This event and the worldwide response to it has put the oppression of Blacks (in the U.S.) and other minorities around the world on center stage once again.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, we need to quit complaining about oppression and actually do something about it. And, in order to do that, we need to understand the multi-faceted nature of the problem and the strategies for addressing it that are most likely to be successful. 

This section of the knowledge base explores oppression: what causes it, and what can be done to address it. Most of the essays in this section are drawn from a larger essay originally entitled "Oppression and Conflict[1]" Since that essay was too long to stand alone in Beyond Intractability, here it is divided up into six essays, which together make up the "oppression" section of the website. BI is lucky to be able to include these essays from Mort Deutsch—they provide a comprehensive, succinct, and understandable introduction to this critically important topic.

In addition to this short introduction, the essays in this section currently include:

1. The Nature and Origins of Oppression

2. The Forms of Oppression

3. What Keeps Oppression in Place?

4. Awakening the Sense of Injustice

5. Overcoming Oppression Through Persuasion

6.   Overcoming Oppression with Power

[1] The original paper was delivered as a plenary address at the annual meetings of the International Society of Justice Research in Skovde, Sweden on June 17, 2002.

Metagraphic "Fist Icon" Image  – Source: https://pixabay.com/en/solider-salute-man-fist-hand-2345373/ ; By: Coffee; Permission: CC0 Creative Commons

Use the following to cite this article: Deutsch, Morton. "Oppression and Conflict: Introduction." Beyond Intractability . Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: March 2005 < http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/oppression-introduction >.

The Intractable Conflict Challenge

Our inability to constructively handle intractable conflict is the most serious, and the most neglected, problem facing humanity. Solving today's tough problems depends upon finding better ways of dealing with these conflicts.   More...

Selected Recent BI Posts Including Hyper-Polarization Posts

• Anne Leslie: Slurps, Sulks, and Family History: Do You Care Enough to Argue? -- Sometimes it is better to have an argument, rather than stew in silence, and have it with the mindset of wanting to learn more about the other person's truth instead of wanting to 'win'?
• Heidi Burgess Talks With James Coan about Taking De-Polarization Work "to Scale." -- Dialogue is great for the few participants, but it simply cannot be scaled up enough to change societal attitudes and behaviors. James Coan and Heidi Burgess discuss alternative ways to scale depolarization work.
• Colleague and Context Links for the Week of March 17, 2024 -- Submissions from readers, activities and publications from colleagues, and interesting articles from allied fields about conflict, peace, and democracy.

Get the Newsletter Check Out Our Quick Start Guide

Educators Consider a low-cost BI-based custom text .

Constructive Conflict Initiative

Join Us in calling for a dramatic expansion of efforts to limit the destructiveness of intractable conflict.

Things You Can Do to Help Ideas

Practical things we can all do to limit the destructive conflicts threatening our future.

Conflict Frontiers

A free, open, online seminar exploring new approaches for addressing difficult and intractable conflicts. Major topic areas include:

Scale, Complexity, & Intractability

Massively Parallel Peacebuilding

Authoritarian Populism

Constructive Confrontation

Conflict Fundamentals

An look at to the fundamental building blocks of the peace and conflict field covering both “tractable” and intractable conflict.

Beyond Intractability / CRInfo Knowledge Base

Home / Browse | Essays | Search | About

BI in Context

Links to thought-provoking articles exploring the larger, societal dimension of intractability.

Colleague Activities

Information about interesting conflict and peacebuilding efforts.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Beyond Intractability, the Conflict Information Consortium, or the University of Colorado.

Beyond Intractability Essay Copyright © 2003-2017 The Beyond Intractability Project, The Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado; All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced without prior written permission. All Creative Commons (CC) Graphics used on this site are covered by the applicable license (which is cited) and any associated "share alike" provisions.

"Current Implications" Sections  Copyright © 2016-17 Guy Burgess  and  Heidi Burgess All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced without prior written permission.

Guidelines for Using Beyond Intractability resources. Inquire about Affordable Reprint/Republication Rights .

Citing Beyond Intractability resources.

Photo Credits for Homepage and Landings Pages

Privacy Policy

Contact Beyond Intractability or Moving Beyond Intractability    The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project  Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess , Co-Directors and Editors  c/o  Conflict Information Consortium , University of Colorado  580 UCB, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA -- Phone: (303) 492-1635 --  Contact

Powered by  Drupal

National Museum of African American History & Culture

• Plan Your Visit
• Group Visits
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Accessibility Options
• Sweet Home Café
• Museum Store
• Museum Maps
• Our Mobile App
• Search the Collection
• Exhibitions
• Initiatives
• Museum Centers
• Publications
• Digital Resource Guide
• The Searchable Museum
• Freedmen's Bureau Search Portal
• Early Childhood
• Being Antiracist
• Community Building
• Historical Foundations of Race
• Race and Racial Identity

Social Identities and Systems of Oppression

• Why Us? Why Now?
• Digital Learning
• Strategic Partnerships
• Ways to Give
• Internships & Fellowships
• Today at the Museum
• Upcoming Events
• Ongoing Tours & Activities
• Past Events
• Host an Event at NMAAHC
• About the Museum
• The Building
• Meet Our Curators
• Founding Donors
• Corporate Leadership Councils
• NMAAHC Annual Reports

Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all assigned multiple social identities. Within each category, there is a hierarchy - a social status with dominant and non-dominant groups. As with race , dominant members can bestow benefits to members they deem "normal," or limit opportunities to members that fall into "other" categories.

A person of the non-dominant group can experience oppression in the form of limitations, disadvantages, or disapproval. They may even suffer abuse from individuals, institutions, or cultural practices. "Oppression" refers to a combination of prejudice and institutional power  that creates a system that regularly and severely discriminates against some groups and benefits other groups.

We use the video player Able Player to provide captions and audio descriptions. Able Player performs best using web browsers Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. If you are using Safari as your browser, use the play button to continue the video after each audio description. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Systems of Oppression The term "systems of oppression" helps us better identify inequity by calling attention to the historical and organized patterns of mistreatment. In the United States, systems of oppression (like systemic racism) are woven into the very foundation of American culture, society, and laws. Other examples of systems of oppression are sexism, heterosexism, ableism, classism, ageism, and anti-Semitism. Society's institutions, such as government, education, and culture, all contribute or reinforce the oppression of marginalized social groups while elevating dominant social groups.

Social Identities A social identity is both internally constructed and externally applied, occurring simultaneously. Educators from oneTILT  define social identity as having these three characteristics:

• Exists (or is consistently used) to bestow power, benefits, or disadvantage.
• Is used to explain differences in outcomes, effort, or ability.
• Is immutable or otherwise sticky (difficult, costly, or dangerous) to change.

Stop and Think!

Explore your own social identities [ view PDF ]

Learn More!

Download this fact sheet on privilege and oppression in American society from Kalamazoo College

There is no hierarchy of oppressions. Audre Lorde

Oppression causes deep suffering, but trying to decide whether one oppression is worse than others is problematic. It diminishes lived experiences and divides communities that should be working together. Many people experience abuse based on multiple social identities. Often, oppressions overlap to cause people even more hardship. This overlapping of oppressed groups is referred to as "intersectionality ." Legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term in the 1980s to describe how black women faced heightened struggles and suffering in American society because they belonged to multiple oppressed social groups.

Watch: A short video on black women and the concept of intersectionality. From the NMAAHC, #APeoplesJourney , "African American Women and the Struggle for Equality.”

During the time Crenshaw was articulating the concept of intersectionality, poet-scholar and social activist Audre Lorde  warned America against fighting against some oppressions but not others. She insisted, "There is no hierarchy of oppression." All oppressions must be recognized and fought against simultaneously. She pushed American society to understand that although we possess different identities, we are all connected as human beings.

“So long as we are divided because of our particular identities we cannot join together in effective political action.”

Audre Lorde cautioned us about the ways that our various identities can prevent us from seeing our shared humanity. Why do you think she felt this was a danger to all people?

In American society, systems of oppression and their effects on people have a long, profound history. However, America and our society can change. As our country continues to evolve, we can acknowledge its problems and work to make changes for the better. We can join together to resist the status quo and the systemic barriers that exist to create new systems of justice, fairness, and compassion for us all.

To make this better America, each of us should look at our own privileges and power. Some people have more power or influence than others, and this can shift quickly according to circumstances . Do you enjoy power, privilege, or influence? If so, what do you do with it? Do you silently enjoy your moments of comfort? Or, do you take risks to stand in solidarity with others?

Take a moment to reflect

Let's Think

• “I learned a lot about systems of oppression and how they can be blind to one another by talking to black men. I was once talking about gender and a man said to me, ’Why does it have to be you as a woman? Why not you as a human being?’ This type of question is a way of silencing a person's specific experiences. Of course, I am a human being, but there are particular things that happen to me in the world because I am a woman.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie​
• Why do you think Ngozi Adichie insisted on being able to talk directly about her specific identity as a woman?
• What identities are important to you that others don’t always acknowledge?

• It can be hard to talk about oppression no matter what side you find yourself on. However, these conversations are needed to develop a deeper understanding of the issues and prevent further harm. An effective way to enter into these kinds of conversations is by thinking through your own social identity.  
• Do this “Social Identity Timeline Activity” with one or more people . 
• Find relevant handouts here . Source: Resource adapted for use by the Program on Intergroup Relations, University of Michigan; Resource hosted by LSA Inclusive Teaching Initiative, University of Michigan .
• Share about the process of your identity formation with your partners using the discussion questions.  
• WATCH:  How the U.S. Suppressed Native American Identity
• How do you think individuals, institutions, and the dominant American society justified this cruel and inhumane treatment?  
• What kept those who had power and voice (government officials, school teachers, civic leaders, regular citizens, etc.) from acknowledging the humanity of these children and preventing this atrocity?  
• Banks connects historical oppression to current oppression faced by Native peoples. How can we join together as allies against this oppression?

• Work to be continuously self-reflective about your own privilege and power. Write self-reflections and revisit them so that you can seek out resources and supports to stop your own contributions to oppression.  
• Be a Georgia Gilmore by joining with others in teaching, advocating, and organizing locally to dismantle systems of oppression where you are.

Why Us, Why Now?

Subtitle here for the credits modal.

• Free Samples
• Premium Essays
• Editing Services Editing Proofreading Rewriting
• Extra Tools Essay Topic Generator Thesis Generator Citation Generator GPA Calculator Study Guides Donate Paper
• Essay Writing Help
• About Us About Us Testimonials FAQ

Essays on oppression

• Studentshare
• TERMS & CONDITIONS
• PRIVACY POLICY
• COOKIES POLICY

We have to use cookies to be sure that our website functions properly. Click here for more information about our Cookie Policy and then tap Allow to continue your work

Top Special Offer! Check discount here

Get 13% off your first order - use TopStart13 discount code now!

• Admission Essay Writing
• Essay Writers for Hire
• Essays for Sale
• Pay for Research Paper
• Research Paper Writing
• Write My Dissertation
• Write Papers for Money
• Essay Editing
• Research Paper Editing
• Buy Assignments
• How it works
• Conclusion Generator
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Testimonials

Essays on Oppression

Experts in this subject field are ready to write an original essay following your instructions to the dot!

Responding to violent or oppressive historical conditions

Given the history of oppression, particularly the apartheid system in South Africa, the impact of Western imperialism on...

Chinese women essay

Women are oppressed in China because they are viewed as inferior humans. They endure agony, such as foot binding, which ...

“A Doll’s House & Trifles”

In the plays Doll's House and Trifles, two ladies with very different social statuses are depicted as having a burning d...

The theme of opression

The subject of injustice has been a major focus for the two writers, Hughes and Eliot. In some articles and other pieces...

The theme of oppression

The subject of injustice has been a significant focus for both writers, Hughes and Eliot. They have explored this topic ...

Meeting Oppression

The use of rhetoric is directed at approaching these particle people and convincing them of the nature of ways of dealin...

American slave trade and ownership and colonialism: Contrast and similarities

Americans adopted the culture of slavery from the British Empire once they have settled in America in the late 1600s. Co...

The Way of Meeting Oppression

To guarantee that the community is free of injustice, they must acknowledge that people have been rescued from the scour...

Dictatorship- good or evil

Dictatorship is defined as an arbitrary rule over the subject matter of an institution or government. The meaning of the...

The Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a book by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. Originally written in Portuguese, it was translated by Myra Bergman Ramo...

One of our experts is just a click away

• Terms and Conditions
• Money Back Guarantee
• Cookie Policy
• Privacy Policy

Customer support

• Buy Argumentative Essay
• Buy Coursework
• Buy Dissertation
• Buy Reaction Paper
• Buy Research Paper
• Buy College Essays
• Buy Narrative Essay
• Buy Thesis Paper
• Expository Essay Writing
• Law Essay Writing
• Dissertation Writing
• APA Paper Writing
• MBA Essay Writing
• Nursing Paper Writing
• Graduate Essay
• Plagiarism Free Essays
• Research Paper for Sale
• Write My Assignment
• Write My Research Paper
• Write My Thesis
• Write My College Essay
• Coursework Writing Service
• History Essay Writing Service
• Business Essay Writing Service
• Psychology Essay Writing Service
• Book Review Writing Service
• Literature Review Writing Service
• Finance Essay Writing Service
• Persuasive Essay Writing Service
• Economics Essay Writing Service
• Descriptive Essay Writing Service
• Analytical Essay Writing Service

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Oppression — A Reflection on Oppression and Privilege

A Reflection on Oppression and Privilege

• Categories: Oppression White Privilege

About this sample

Words: 542 |

Published: Nov 6, 2018

Words: 542 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

• Expert in: Social Issues

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 420 words

4 pages / 1970 words

5 pages / 2257 words

3 pages / 1552 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Oppression

Tellez, Hernando. 'Lather and Nothing Else.' Translated by Donald A. Yates, Duke University Press, 2008.Zikaly, Peter. 'You have to make a choice, even when there is nothing to choose from.' (Note: No specific source found, [...]

The speech delivered by Satanta, a Kiowa Chief, during his trial in 1871, provides valuable insights into the historical treatment of Indigenous peoples in the United States. This essay will delve into the analysis of Satanta's [...]

I Am Joaquin is a poem that delves into the complex history and identity of Mexican-Americans. Written by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales in the 1960s, the poem captures the struggle and resilience of the Chicano people as they [...]

Marilyn Frye, a well-known feminist philosopher, has made significant contributions to the understanding of oppression. In her influential essay, "Oppression," Frye explores the nature of oppression and its impact on individuals [...]

Peter Abrahams’ Mine Boy illustrates in beautiful and haunting prose the oppression black citizens of South Africa faced in the years preceding apartheid. The country’s white minority imposed its power over black South [...]

If we view the world in two terms, we must identify with one. Hence, if there are oppressors and oppressed, then we must be either oppressor or oppressed. Oppressed people know they are oppressed. They read Pedagogy of the [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essays Samples >
• Essay Types >
• Argumentative Essay Example

Oppression Argumentative Essays Samples For Students

25 samples of this type

Do you feel the need to check out some previously written Argumentative Essays on Oppression before you start writing an own piece? In this free directory of Oppression Argumentative Essay examples, you are provided with a fascinating opportunity to explore meaningful topics, content structuring techniques, text flow, formatting styles, and other academically acclaimed writing practices. Implementing them while crafting your own Oppression Argumentative Essay will definitely allow you to complete the piece faster.

Presenting the finest samples isn't the only way our free essays service can aid students in their writing endeavors – our experts can also compose from scratch a fully customized Argumentative Essay on Oppression that would make a strong basis for your own academic work.

Expertly Written Argumentative Essay On Religious Labels To Follow

Example of argumentative essay on three ways of meeting oppression, free argumentative essay on illegal immigration in us and mexico: denial, domination and oppression.

The Issue of Illegal Immigration of Mexicans to the United States (US) Vis-à-vis Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldua

Introduction

Don't waste your time searching for a sample.

Get your argumentative essay done by professional writers!

Just from $10/page

The Mulatto In Works Of Langston Hughes Argumentative Essay

Free black liberation movement in america and their influence on other social movements argumentative essay example, a-level argumentative essay on television shows and real life issues for free use, good example of argumentative essay, list your instructor’s name, example of how do we act responsibly within imposed limitations argumentative essay, free argumentative essay on american populist movement, liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness argumentative essay examples, race and inequality in feminist movement: free sample argumentative essay to follow, good example of defining their existence and drawing resolutions to the dilemma argumentative essay, sonnys blues by james baldwin (1924-1987) argumentative essay samples, representations of black women in rap and hip-hop as shown through fly-girls argumentative essay samples, example of the groupthink in malcolm x and elijah muhammad argumentative essay, rhetorical analysis of an argument argumentative essay sample, rhetorical analysis of the divine augustus, argumentative essay on the truman doctrine, impact of class, gender, indigeneity or ethnicity on the health status of people argumentative essay examples, argumentative essay on the function of social disobedience, human dignity and conscience in the essays of ralph waldo emerson, henry david thoreau and maya angelou, the link between historiography, social construction and social organization and argumentative essay example.

Many theories have been advanced to explain disability with many of them revolving around biomedical origins. However, sociologists have developed quite a different school of thought. According to sociologists, disability, which can be physical, cognitive, emotional, mental or developmental, is an impairment that can largely be linked to historiography, social construction as well as social organization.

Historiography

Argumentative essay on bertholt bechts condemnation of fascism and capitalist regime, argumentative essay on immigration in spain, argumentative essay on experiments in fiction 2, amiri baraka and the black art movement argumentative essay, example of argumentative essay on ethos pathos and logos in king roy and hightower.

The elements of ethos, pathos and logos are all essential components of argument; they are vital ways of conveying a message in a way that a)makes sense and b) is emotionally effective. Three writers in particular were skilled at using these aspects of argument: Martin Luther King, Jr., Jim Hightower and Arundhati Roy. In their respective works, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," "Rebellion Is What Built America" and "Come September," ethos, pathos and logos are used to great effect to create emotional and logical appeals for their arguments for the benefit of a potentially hostile audience.

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline

Essay on Oppression Of Women

Students are often asked to write an essay on Oppression Of Women in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Oppression Of Women

Understanding oppression.

Oppression means treating someone unfairly. Women often face this problem. This unfair treatment is called “Oppression of Women”. It is a big issue that people around the world are trying to solve.

The Start of Oppression

The oppression of women started a long time ago. In the past, society believed men were more important. Women were not allowed to work or study. They had to stay at home and take care of the family. This belief is still present in some places today.

Forms of Oppression

Oppression can take many forms. Women may be paid less than men for the same job. They may not be allowed to make important decisions. They may also face violence or abuse.

Fighting Oppression

To fight oppression, we need to treat everyone equally. Women should have the same rights as men. They should be able to work, study, and make decisions freely. This will help end the oppression of women.

The Role of Education

Education is a powerful tool against oppression. When women are educated, they can stand up for their rights. They can also teach others about equality. This will help create a world where everyone is treated fairly.

Oppression of women is a big problem. But by treating everyone equally and through education, we can end this unfair treatment. Let’s work together to create a world where everyone is respected and valued.

250 Words Essay on Oppression Of Women

Understanding oppression of women.

Oppression of women is a serious issue. It means treating women unfairly just because they are women. This unfair treatment can be seen in many parts of our lives.

History of Oppression

In the past, women were not allowed to vote, go to school, or work. Men made all the decisions. Women had to stay at home and take care of the family. This was not fair.

Oppression of women takes many forms today. Some women are not paid the same as men for doing the same job. This is called wage inequality. Other forms of oppression include not letting women make decisions about their own bodies, or not giving them the same chances as men to succeed in life.

Effects of Oppression

Oppression hurts women. It makes them feel less important than men. It can also make it hard for them to reach their goals and dreams. This is not good for our society. Everyone should have the same chances to succeed.

Standing Against Oppression

We all need to stand against the oppression of women. We can do this by speaking out when we see unfair treatment, and by supporting laws that make sure women and men are treated equally.

In conclusion, the oppression of women is a problem that we all need to work on. By understanding what it is and how it affects people, we can help to make a better world for everyone.

500 Words Essay on Oppression Of Women

Introduction.

Oppression of women is a big issue that has been around for a long time. It means treating women unfairly just because they are women. This unfair treatment can happen at home, at school, at work, and even in public places. It is a global problem, which means it happens all around the world.

Types of Oppression

There are many ways in which women can be oppressed. One way is through physical violence. This can include hitting, pushing, or hurting a woman in any way. Another form of oppression is mental or emotional abuse. This can involve saying mean things to a woman, making her feel bad about herself, or controlling her actions.

Causes of Oppression

The root cause of this problem is the belief that men are superior to women. This belief is often passed down from generation to generation, and it can be hard to change. Some people also believe in old traditions that limit the roles and rights of women. These beliefs and traditions can lead to the oppression of women.

The effects of oppression on women can be very harmful. It can lead to low self-esteem, depression, and even physical health problems. It can also limit a woman’s opportunities in life. For example, if a woman is not allowed to go to school or work, she may not be able to reach her full potential.

Combating Oppression

There are many ways to fight against the oppression of women. One important step is education. By teaching people about the rights and value of women, we can start to change harmful beliefs and traditions. Laws can also be used to protect women from oppression. For example, laws can be made to punish those who harm women, and to ensure that women have equal opportunities in life.

In conclusion, the oppression of women is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. It is important for everyone to understand what this issue is, why it happens, and what can be done to stop it. By working together, we can make a difference and create a world where all women are treated with respect and equality.

Remember, change starts with us. If we all take steps to treat women fairly, we can help to end the oppression of women. No one should be treated unfairly just because of their gender. Women have the same rights as men, and they should be given the same opportunities to succeed in life.

This is a short essay, but it is a big topic. There is a lot more to learn about the oppression of women. But this is a good start. If you want to learn more, you can read books, watch documentaries, or talk to people who are working to end the oppression of women.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Faith Journey
• Essay on Fairyland
• Essay on Failure Is The Stepping Stone To Success

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

share this!

March 26, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

trusted source

Essays on democracy draw attention to critical threats, explore safeguards ahead of Jan. 6

by Tracy DeStazio, University of Notre Dame

Following the events of Jan. 6, 2021—when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an effort to interrupt the certification process of the 2020 presidential election—experts began to question how to protect the next presidential election from a similar threat. To that end, University of Notre Dame political scientists have partnered with preeminent scholars of democracy from across the country to produce a set of recommendations to strengthen and safeguard democracy in America.

The University's Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy established the January 6th, 2025, Project in an effort to understand the social, political, psychological and demographic factors that led to that troublesome day in the capital.

By pursuing research, teaching and public engagement , the project offers insight into how American democracy got to this point and how to strengthen and protect it, while emphasizing how to prepare for a similar attack many deem imminent on Jan. 6, 2025, when Congress seeks to certify the 2024 presidential election results. The project includes 34 members who represent various disciplines and leading universities—10 of whom hail from Notre Dame's faculty.

Matthew E.K. Hall, director of the Rooney Center, said one of the project's first goals was to create a collection of essays written by its members to be included in a special issue of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science , which was published this month. These essays aim to draw attention to the vulnerabilities in our democratic system and the threats building against it, and to create consensus on ways to remedy both problems.

The authors set out to tackle the following tough questions, but from different perspectives: How serious are the threats to our democracy, how did we get to this point, and what can we do to fix the situation? The 14 essays are broken down into categories, falling under the headings of "'Us' Versus 'Them,'" "Dangerous Ideas" and "Undermining Democratic Institutions." With most pieces being co-authored by faculty from multiple institutions, the collection offers a collaborative approach to evaluating what led America to this crisis and how to avert it.

David Campbell, director of the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative and the Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy in the Department of Political Science, described the project as "an example of how Notre Dame can be a national leader on the issue of preserving American democracy. Not only do we have top scholars working on the issue, but we can provide a forum for a community of scholars across many leading universities. Maintaining democracy will require all hands on deck."

In the collection's introduction, Hall explained the backdrop of what led America to this point and why these essays help acknowledge the challenges we are facing as a nation.

"We are basically living through a revival of fascist politics in the U.S.," Hall wrote, "where politicians are using divisive rhetoric to separate us into an 'us' versus 'them' paradigm—left versus right, white versus Black, rich versus poor, urban versus rural, religious versus secular—the divisions go on and on."

Hall estimated that between 25 and 30% of Americans have consistently endorsed some fascist ideas such as racial oppression, conspiracy theories and authoritarianism. "Ordinarily, this consistent minority is held in check by the democratic process," Hall explained.

"These candidates don't even get nominated for major political positions because their co-partisan allies don't want to lose the general election.

"But when our politics become this intensely polarized, most partisans will support their party no matter who is nominated," he continued. "As a result, politicians pushing these fascist ideas can gain power by taking over one political party and then exploiting the polarization to win elections. Once taking power, they will likely manipulate the electoral process to remain in power."

Consequently, Hall said, fascist leaders are able to exploit these social divisions to break down basic social norms and shared understandings about American politics. This pushes huge swaths of society toward accepting dangerous ideas that would normally be rejected, such as expanded executive power, intense animosity toward political opponents, a wavering support for free speech, and political candidates who deny election losses.

This weakened support for democratic norms enables attacks on our democratic institutions, such as ignoring court rulings, enacting voter suppression laws and—most shockingly (as in the case of Jan. 6)—openly subverting elections.

With the political situation as dire as many feel it to be, the January 6th, 2025, Project's essays outline a few practical steps that can be taken to strengthen and safeguard democracy in America.

For example, Hall said, as the nation moves forward into this next election year, American voters have to stay focused on the "deliberate denial of reality" on the part of some politicians so that they can discern the difference between lies, truths and just plain distractions.

"The more we lose touch with basic facts and accept misinformation, conspiracies and contradictory claims as the norm in our society," he said, "the more vulnerable we are to losing our democracy.

"Even more importantly, we have to be willing to sacrifice short-term political gains in order to preserve the long-term stability of our democracy. That might mean holding your nose to vote for candidates that you would not otherwise support."

Hall added that Americans must redouble their devotion to democratic principles such as open elections and free speech, and states should adopt institutional reforms that remove partisans from the electoral process (for example, employing nonpartisan election commissions). He also noted the importance of paying close attention to efforts that divide groups of Americans, especially those that portray outgroup members as evil or less than human.

The members of the project hope that by honestly acknowledging the challenges our nation is facing, understanding the mistakes that were made and recognizing the vulnerabilities in our system that led us to this situation—and by resolving to fix these issues—we can pull our country's political system back from the edge of the cliff before it's too late.

"The public needs to take these critical threats seriously and we're hoping that these essays draw attention to them, and help to build consensus about the underlying problems in our politics and potential remedies," Hall concluded.

Democracy is one of several University-wide initiatives emerging from Notre Dame's recently released Strategic Framework . The Democracy Initiative will further establish Notre Dame as a global leader in the study of democracy, a convenor for conversations about and actions to preserve democracy, and a model for the formation of civically engaged citizens and public servants.

Provided by University of Notre Dame

Explore further

Feedback to editors

Satellite data shows how drought changes wildfire recovery in the West

17 minutes ago

Researchers identify new method to boost laser processing resolution

Astronomers conduct first search for forming planets with James Webb Space Telescope

Climate change is messing with how we measure time: Study

Physicists propose new way to search for dark matter: Small-scale solution could be key to solving large-scale mystery

Researchers find the more flood driving factors there are, the more extreme a flood is

North American cities may see a major species turnover by the end of the century

New analysis reveals a tiny black hole repeatedly punching through a larger black hole's disk of gas

Europe's forgotten forests could be 21st century 'biodiversity hot spots'

Your emotional reaction to climate change may impact the policies you support, study finds

Relevant physicsforums posts, history of railroad safety - spotlight on current derailments, metal, rock, instrumental rock and fusion, interesting anecdotes in the history of physics.

6 hours ago

Who should have been the 4th laureate in the Nobel Prize in Physics?

Mar 25, 2024

Cover songs versus the original track, which ones are better?

Mar 22, 2024

For WW2 buffs!

More from Art, Music, History, and Linguistics

Related Stories

Political rhetoric changes views on democratic principles, study finds

Oct 25, 2023

'On the brink of a new civil war': Survey highlights fragility of American democracy, stark partisan divides

Nov 3, 2022

The majority of Americans do not support anti-democratic behavior, even when elected officials do: Study

Mar 18, 2024

Preventing another 'Jan. 6' starts by changing how elections are certified, experts say

Mar 20, 2024

Report: Political violence threatens health of US democracy

Nov 7, 2023

Democratic backslide a threat to free elections globally: Report

Mar 7, 2024

Recommended for you

Value-added tax data could help countries prepare better for crises

3 hours ago

New study suggests that while social media changes over decades, conversation dynamics stay the same

World Happiness Report: Why we might be measuring happiness wrong

Advanced statistical analysis highlights the role of interaction between US Supreme Court judges

Let us know if there is a problem with our content.

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

• Share full article

Why a Native American Nation Is Challenging the U.S. Over a 1794 Treaty

The Onondaga have asked an international commission to find that the United States violated a treaty guaranteeing the nation 2.5 million acres of land.

Sidney Hill serves as Tadodaho, the spiritual leader of the Onondaga Nation. Credit... Lauren Petracca for The New York Times

Supported by

By Grace Ashford

Reporting from the Onondaga Nation Territory in central New York.

• Published March 15, 2024 Updated March 21, 2024

Four or five years ago, Sidney Hill’s young son came to him with a question that Mr. Hill didn’t know how to answer.

The boy had learned that day about the millions of acres of land that his people, the Onondaga, had once called home, and the way that their homeland had been taken parcel by parcel by the State of New York, until all that was left was 11 square miles south of Syracuse.

“We lost all this land,” Mr. Hill recalled his son saying. “How can that be?”

Listen to this article with reporter commentary

Open this article in the New York Times Audio app on iOS.

In many ways, Mr. Hill was the best person to answer that question. As Tadodaho, the spiritual leader of the Onondaga Nation, he was responsible for protecting its legacy and guiding it into the future. He was one of a handful of elders who have worked for decades on a legal and diplomatic strategy to fight back against the historic wrongs his son now sought to understand.

Even so, it caught him off balance.

The younger generation needed to know, he said. “But it doesn’t make much sense to them.”

Mr. Hill tried to reassure his son that all that injustice was in the past.

But he knew how hard it was to accept past wrongs, particularly when their consequences so informed the present. It was why he had spent so long pushing — first Onondaga elders, then the United States justice system and, finally, an international human rights commission — for a correction to that history.

Onondaga Lake

Detail area

New York City

The Onondaga claim that the United States violated a 1794 treaty, signed by George Washington, that guaranteed 2.5 million acres in central New York to them. The case, filed in 2014, is the second brought by an American Indian nation against the United States in an international human rights body; a finding is expected as soon as this year.

Even if the Onondaga are successful, the result will mostly be symbolic. The entity, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, has no power to enforce a finding or settlement, and the United States has said that it does not consider the commission’s recommendations to be binding.

“We could win against them, but that doesn’t mean that they have to abide by whatever,” Mr. Hill said in an interview.

The 2.5 million acres have long since been transformed by highways and utility lines, shopping malls, universities, airports and roller rinks.

The territory encompasses the cities of Binghamton and Syracuse, as well as more than 30 state forests, dozens of lakes and countless streams and tributaries. It is also home to 24 Superfund sites, the environmental detritus of the powerhouse economy that helped central New York thrive during the beginning and middle half of the 20th century.

Most notorious of these is Onondaga Lake, which once held the dubious title of America’s most polluted lake.

Industrial waste has left its mark on Onondaga territory, leaving the nation unable to fish from its streams and rivers. The history of environmental degradation is part of what motivates the Onondaga, who consider it their sacred responsibility to protect their land.

One of their chief objectives in filing the petition is a seat at the table on environmental decisions across the original territory. The other is an acknowledgment that New York, even if only in principle, owes them 2.5 million acres.

Across the nation, government officials have grappled with the notion of reparations to address historical injustices. In 2022, officials in Evanston, Ill., began distributing $25,000 to Black descendants of enslaved people as reparations for housing discrimination.

In New York, people who were once imprisoned for marijuana crimes received preference for licenses to sell cannabis; Gov. Kathy Hochul last year also created a statewide task force to examine whether reparations can be made to address the legacy of racial injustice.

Some Native nations have been willing to drop land claims in exchange for licenses to operate casinos. But the Onondaga say they are not interested in cash. Nor are they interested in licenses to sell cannabis or operate a casino — which they consider socially irresponsible and a threat to their tribal sovereignty.

There’s really just one thing that Mr. Hill says would be an acceptable form of payment: land.

The Onondaga insist they are not looking to displace anyone. Instead they hope the state might turn over a tract of unspoiled land for the nation to hunt, fish, preserve or develop as it sees fit. One such repatriation effort is underway : the return of 1,000 acres as a part of a federal settlement with Honeywell International for the contamination of Onondaga Lake .

The United States has not contested the Onondaga's account of how the nation lost its land. Indeed, the lawyers representing the United States in the Onondaga case have centered their argument on legal precedence, noting that courts at every level — including the U.S. Supreme Court — rejected the Onondaga’s claims as too old and most remedies too disruptive to the region’s current inhabitants.

To the Onondaga, the logic required to square these contentions seems unfair. Why should the United States be allowed to steal their land and face no obligation to give some back?

Joe Heath, a lawyer representing the Onondaga, said the refusal to acknowledge the past stands in the way of healing the future.

“If we don’t admit that those things have happened, how do we move forward together?” he said. But Mr. Heath understood that such an admission would have serious legal and practical implications.

“The problem is that all of the land in New York, in the United States, is stolen Indian land," he said. “What does that mean in terms of U.S. property law?”

‘All of our Country and for a very trifle’

There was a time when the United States worked with the Haudenosaunee, the confederacy that includes the Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Tuscarora, Mohawk and Seneca nations, as the fledgling government sought to defuse conflicts in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War.

The federal government entered into three treaties that affirmed the confederacy’s sovereignty and ownership over much of the northern part of New York State. Critically, those treaties guaranteed that no one but the federal government would have the authority to deal with the Haudenosaunee.

But as early as 1788, New York State had started to chip away at the Haudenosaunee land and sovereignty. Over the next 34 years, the state would come to control nearly all of the Onondaga land — as well as most of that owned by the other Haudenosaunee nations — because of a series of transactions that the Onondaga say were illegal.

“The [New] York people have got almost all of our Country and for a very trifle,” Onondaga chiefs told federal officials in 1794, according to the papers of U.S. Indian Commissioner Timothy Pickering.

For the next two centuries, the Onondaga continued to fruitlessly press their case in numerous face-to-face meetings with presidents, members of Congress and governors of New York.

Legal options were limited: In New York, for example, Native people were not considered to have standing to sue on their own behalf until 1987.

When Indian nations did make it into the courtroom, many claims were dismissed.

The Onondaga’s decision to go to court was decades in the making, with the first discussions beginning more than 40 years ago. For the next 20 years, the Council debated in the long house — a long, low structure made of whole logs used for ceremonial events and Haudenosaunee gatherings.

Mr. Hill is one of 14 chiefs on that council, each of whom represents a different clan. In the Onondaga tradition these chiefs are male, but they are appointed by the clan mothers.

The chiefs did not initially embrace the idea of a lawsuit, seeing it as another venue for broken promises.

“Our elders were always afraid of going into courts,” Mr. Hill said. Many were concerned that losing in court could lead them to lose what little land they had left.

“We finally said, we have to do something,” Mr. Hill said.

In 2005, the Onondaga filed a version of their current claim in Federal District Court in the Northern District of New York, naming as defendants the State of New York, its governor, Onondaga County, the City of Syracuse and a handful of the companies responsible for the environmental degradation over the past centuries. A similar case filed by the Oneida Nation was, at the time, pending before the Supreme Court.

But just 18 days after the Onondaga filed their petition, the Supreme Court rejected the Oneidas’ case. The decision referenced a colonial-era legal theory known as the Doctrine of Discovery, which holds in part that Indigenous property claims were nullified by the “discovery” of that land by Christians.

The “long lapse of time” and “the attendant dramatic changes in the character” precluded the Oneida nation from the “disruptive remedy” it sought, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in the majority decision.

The ruling appeared to doom the chances of any Native nation seeking recompense through the courts. The history seemed settled.

‘Disruptive to who?’

Of the more than 1,600 words in the Supreme Court’s ruling, one stood out to Hill: “disruptive.”

“When I heard that, I said, ‘Well, OK, disruptive to who?’” he recalled. “It’s already been disruptive to us, as Indigenous people.”

Some might have left it at that: an admission that Native people could never be made whole for the profound wrongs perpetrated on them.

Instead, lawyers for the Onondaga used the rejection as the premise for a new argument. They contended that the U.S. court system’s refusal to find in their favor proved that they could not find justice in the United States.

The petition filed before the international commission amounts to the most direct challenge of the United States’ treatment of Indigenous people to date in terms of human rights — and the first to apply the lens of colonialism.

“What the Onondaga litigation is doing right now is to force a political dialogue with the colonial occupier,” said Andrew Reid, a lawyer representing the Onondaga, adding that a favorable finding could prompt a political conversation about the United States’s treatment of native people on the world stage.

Representatives for the State Department declined to be interviewed and did not respond to requests for comment. But in legal documents, the United States contended that the Onondaga’s central claims have been rejected in prior cases; that they have had “abundant opportunity” for their case to be heard; and that they are merely unhappy with the outcome. It also contended that the commission has no jurisdiction, given that the bulk of the nation’s losses took place two centuries before it was established.

“The judicial process functioned as it should have in this matter,” the United States wrote in legal papers.

The commission’s decision could come at any time, but Sidney Hill is trying not to focus on it.

Most days he is glad to have tried.

“We aren’t sure how it’s going to go,” he says. “But at least it won’t be hanging there for the next generation.”

Audio produced by Kate Winslett .

An earlier version of this article misstated the first name of an Indian commissioner under President George Washington who later became secretary of state. He was Timothy Pickering, not Thomas Pickering.

How we handle corrections

Grace Ashford covers New York government and politics for The Times. More about Grace Ashford

Politics in the New York Region

Targeting Trans Athletes: A proposed ban on transgender women playing on women’s sports teams  has turned a Long Island county into the latest battleground for conservatives who have put cultural issues at the center of a nationwide political strategy.

Illegal Donations: A Chinese business titan pleaded guilty to federal charges that he made more than $10,000 in straw donor contributions to political candidates  — including, a person familiar with the case said, to a New York congressman and Mayor Eric Adams.

A Cannabis Mess: Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered officials to come up with a fix for the way New York licenses cannabis businesses  amid widespread frustration over the plodding pace  of the state’s legal cannabis rollout.

N.Y. Budget: Both of New York’s legislative chambers have announced their budget proposals. They have until April 1 to hash out a spending plan  with Gov. Kathy Hochul, who unveiled her proposal in January .

Covid Deaths: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was subpoenaed to appear  before a House subcommittee to answer for his administration’s handling of nursing homes during the pandemic, a development that could further damage his chances at a political comeback.

Advertisement