Laura M. Valentini, London School of Economics
15. November 2018 16:45-18:45 Uhr 3B NIG

Poster WKAP-Vortrag Laura M. Valentini

T H I S   L E C T U R E   H A S   B E E N   C A N C E L L E D

On Public-Identity Disempowerment

Abstract: It is well known that social disempowerment can result from the ascription of certain identities, such as gender, race, ethnic, or religious identities. In this paper, I put the spotlight on a related, but different form of disempowerment, which affects the processes leading to the ascription of those identities. This is the disempowerment suffered by those who are deprived of adequate control over how they are publicly perceived. I call it public-identity disempowerment. I offer a general framework for analyzing this type of disempowerment, and discuss a particularly significant instance of it: transparency-appraisal disempowerment. I explain why transparency-appraisal disempowerment is wrongful, and show that it lies at the heart of otherwise rather different social phenomena, including bullying, cultural exclusion, statistical discrimination, and positive as well as negative stereotyping.