Privilege (social inequality)

Privilege is a special right or advantage available only to a particular person or group of people. The term is commonly used in the context of social inequality, particularly in regard to social class,race, age, sexual orientation, gender, and disability. Two common examples would be having access to a higher education and housing. Privilege can also be emotional or psychological, regarding personal self-confidence and comfort, or having a sense of belonging or worth in society. It began as an academic concept, but has since become popular outside of academia.

Substantial analysis of privilege and specific social groups have been published and have included a variety of perspectives. Some commentators have addressed limitations in the term, such as its inability to distinguish between concepts of "spared injustice" and "unjust enrichment", and its tendency to conflate disparate groups.

History

The concept of privilege dates back to 1903 when American sociologist and historian W. E. B. Du Bois published the essay The Souls of Black Folk, in which he wrote that although African Americans were observant about white Americans and conscious of racial discrimination, white Americans did not think much about African Americans, nor about the effects of racial discrimination. In 1935, Du Bois wrote about what he called the "wages of whiteness", which he described as including courtesy and deference, unimpeded admittance to all public functions, lenient treatment in court, and access to the best schools.

Privilege

Privilege may refer to:

Privilege (Ivor Cutler album)

Privilege is an album by Ivor Cutler, originally released in 1983 on Rough Trade Records. It was produced by David Toop and Steve Beresford, both of whom are better known for their work in improvisational music and, unlike Cutler's 1970s recordings, it sees Cutler's vocals accompanied by a wide range of musical instruments including keyboards, banjo, euphonium and alto flute. The LP is co-credited to Linda Hirst, who recites a number of poems and provides backing vocals on some of the tracks. The closing track, "Women of the World", was released as a single and became a minor hit on the UK Indie Chart. It has since been covered by Jim O'Rourke, on his 1999 album Eureka, and YACHT, on his 2007 album I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real.

The album was re-released on CD in 2009 by Hoorgi House Records.

Track listing

Privilege (legal ethics)

A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. Land-titles and taxi medallions are pronounced examples of transferable privilege. These can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth. By contrast, a right is an inherent, irrevocable entitlement held by all citizens or all human beings from the moment of birth. Various examples of old common law privilege still exist, to title deeds, for example. Etymologically, a privilege (privilegium) means a "private law", or rule relating to a specific individual or institution.

Boniface's abbey of Fulda, to cite an early and prominent example, was granted privilegium, setting the abbot in direct contact with the pope, bypassing the jurisdiction of the local bishop.

One of the objectives of the French Revolution was the abolition of privilege. This meant the removal of separate laws for different social classes (nobility, clergy, and ordinary people), instead subjecting everyone to the same common law. Privileges were abolished by the National Constituent Assembly on August 4, 1789.