Equality VS Inequality Flashcards

Question

It does socially but not politically. Race puts people in different categories existing through a social structure and manifesting differently depending on a belonging of a certain groups (interpersonal interactions).

Answer 1

but it can move to one sphere to another.

Answer 2

" as Charles Mills explains it, is not a written agreement, but rather an unspoken understanding among white people that has shaped the modern world. It's about how white people have historically dominated and continue to dominate non-white people. Here are the key ideas: § White Supremacy as a Political System: Mills argues that white supremacy isn't just individual prejudice, but an actual political system. It's a way of organizing power, wealth, and opportunities that favors white people. § Not a Social Contract for Everyone: Unlike the traditional "social contract" which is supposed to be an agreement among all members of society for mutual benefit, the "Racial Contract" is an agreement among white people about non-white people. It determines that only white people "count". § Exploitation Contract: A major part of the Racial Contract is about economic exploitation. It's designed to ensure that white people benefit from the labor, land, and resources of non-white people. How it Changes Society: Political: It creates racial political structures. This includes white settler states and colonial rule. It transforms the idea of citizens into a racial concept. 3 Moral: It limits freedom and equality to white men, relegating non-whites to a lower moral status. Epistemological: It creates an "epistemology of ignorance". This means that to maintain the system, white people have to misunderstand or ignore certain realities about race and its impact. Historical Reality: Mills says the "Racial Contract" is a real historical phenomenon, evident in European colonialism, conquest, and the establishment of global white supremacy. It's not just a theory, but something that actually happened and continues to affect the world. Global Impact: This contract isn't limited to one country. It has shaped the global order, with European and Western nations dominating much of the world. Enforcement Through Violence and Ideology: The Racial Contract is maintained through violence and the conditioning of beliefs. The "Inverted Epistemology": White people must misinterpret the world to maintain the Racial Contract, assured their perceptions will be validated by white authority. Benefits for Whites: All those categorized as white benefit from the contract. En essence, le "Racial Contract" est une analyse critique de la manière dont la race a été utilisée pour structurer les inégalités et maintenir la domination blanche à l'échelle mondiale. Il conteste les théories politiques traditionnelles qui ignorent ces réalités raciales. Summary of The Racial Contract Charles W. Mills argues that racism is not just a social issue but a fundamental part of the political system that has shaped the modern world. He introduces the concept of the Racial Contract, which describes how white supremacy is embedded in institutions, laws, and social structures. Key Arguments 1. The Racial Contract is Political, Moral, and Epistemological o Politically, it establishes white dominance over nonwhite people. o Morally, it creates a system where white people are considered more valuable. o Epistemologically, it shapes knowledge in a way that benefits white people and ignores or distorts nonwhite perspectives. 2. How It Differs from the Classical Social Contract o The classical social contract (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau) imagines a society where individuals agree to form a fair government. o The Racial Contract is not universal; it only includes white people as "full persons" while excluding nonwhite people. o Instead of creating justice, it maintains racial hierarchy and exploitation. 3. The Role of White Supremacy in Modern History o Colonialism, slavery, and segregation were not exceptions but direct results of the Racial Contract. o Institutions (legal, economic, educational) were built to uphold white dominance. 4 4. Impact on Society and Institutions o The contract defines social spaces (e.g., segregation, redlining in the U.S.). o It affects political representation, legal rights, and economic opportunities. o It influences moral and philosophical beliefs, making white privilege seem "natural." 5. The "Epistemology of Ignorance" o White people are trained to ignore or misunderstand racism. o This ignorance helps maintain the racial hierarchy. o It is reinforced by education, media, and political discourse. Historical and Contemporary Examples • Colonialism: European conquest and exploitation of Africa, the Americas, and Asia. • Slavery: The transatlantic slave trade as an economic system benefiting white societies. • Jim Crow Laws (U.S.), Apartheid (South Africa): Legal systems enforcing racial inequality. • Modern Discrimination: Racial profiling, wealth gaps, unequal access to healthcare and education. Solutions & Actions • Recognizing racism as a structural problem, not just individual prejudice. • Reforming political and legal institutions to include nonwhite voices. • Educating people about the history of racism and white supremacy. • Actively working to dismantle racial inequalities in wealth, education, and opportunities. Key Takeaways • The Racial Contract is a hidden foundation of modern societies. • White supremacy is not accidental but built into political and economic systems. • Overcoming racial inequality requires structural change, not just moral appeals. Debut du cours The paradox of political modernity It starts with the US revolution, French revolution. In the reflexion on equalities, it is an important change. Animal farm The Russian revolution. Metaphor of what happened in Russia, animals who rebelled and took power. All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. 5 From the ancient to the nouveau régime Same rights and freedom because you are a human being. Social distingtance can only be establish on commonality can’t make differences for the whole groupe unless they are useful for the community. Debate about cottas.Donc le but est de comorendre comment uls utilisent ces regles pour justement nuire aux quotas. image of a cake No social mobility. So you have the bigger group and you have different groups depending on your birth. The idea is that you will never be able to go up, you remain in the same group. You are born in a special family and will remain in it. The justification of that system was that God give earth to Adam etc and then give it to the kingdom of addam.So the king will be like the father who has to defend the children so the people. The other justification is the body. The idea is that for a body to function different part of the body must function together. So in that cake is is very hierarchical to justify the functioning of such system. The book of Carol Pateman She said it was a sexual contract’s society of sons and fathers. We move from a society of sons and fathers from a society of brothers. You move from sos to brothers who wanted the power, so we are in that type of mindset of brotherhood/sisterhood. The promises of political modernity A society of equals people are fundamentally considered the same, idea from the 18 centuries. belonging to the same groups, we should have the same rights because we belong to the same group. The idea is that. Privileges is a right that some people have and others don’t. In the ancient regimes it was based on privileges. People had different rights based on the group they belonged to. We moved to this idea that all those people are the same and should have the same rights. So, it is a shift in the way of thinking. In the 18 century sciences is useful in the idea that all human being should enjoy the same rights as others. First ideas =we all the same Second idea=it should be based on the belonging of the same groups Third idea=individual autonomy. Group ascription Fourth idea=citizen 6 At the French revolution =liberal market and divorce was introduced for a limited period. Slavery was abolished in the mid of nineteen centuries.... The last idea was introduced at the time where we said that Jews should be considered individually so as citizens. And also, all citizens should be equal. It happened in. the nation. Voir prochain slide Louis Jaucourt : You find meritocracy. Discussion around the social contract. Legal exclusion: Women as passive citizen. The main idea is that you have political, civil rights and social rights. Women enjoyed all of those rights except of the political one. It was on the basis of the strong divition within the public and private wich is the domestic world and men should be in the public spaces.Women were ruling on the house and the men rulling on the city.The ida is that the men to be active in public spaces women need to help them. The public and private. For example: French decriminalized homosexuality because they considered homosexuality as something private that cannot harm anyone. Why women should stay in the public space Because they are too emotional to make reasonable choices. It was One of the justifications. The equality principle and its interpretations - Virtue and morality: you need to work hard and wake up early. It is the same thinking that we should give money to the women because they are more responsible. - Talent and nature: we all the same but some will be better at something and that is nature, and we cannot change it. Those two things are something we hear a lot now. These are old ideas that come often in the conversations. Reorganization of inequality: the example of segregation in the US After slavery was segregation. The idea of different but equal. People played of those categories of inequalities to reinforce equality. Sciences of inequalities Science will be used to justify of why some people aren’t equal. All the racial and racist colonial theories were being acknowledged in order to dehumanizing people. So science isn’t the truth. 7 Antisemitism The drawing in the glasses present in the churches are antisemitic and no one see the issue. Antisemitism is based on the religion and science. It is as story of antisemitismDiscussion/debate around the text racial contract by Charles W.Mills The social contract is a Metaphor to explain the revolutions so far. Citizen understanding that they must give power to others. The idea that the state must have a lot of power, have an organization, army etc who has the right to use violence in some case. What’s the issue of that theory?9(the social contract) The contract is a contract made between white ppl and not others. It is also an economic contract.it is an economic colonial exploitation.

Equality VS Inequality Flashcards

(40 cards)