Standpoint theory

Standpoint theory is a theory found in some academic disciplines which is used for analyzing inter-subjective discourses. This body of work proposes that authority is rooted in individuals' knowledge (their perspectives), and the power that such authority exerts. Standpoint theory is a theory found in some academic disciplines which is used for analyzing inter-subjective discourses. This body of work proposes that authority is rooted in individuals' knowledge (their perspectives), and the power that such authority exerts. Standpoint theory's most important concept is that an individual's own perspectives are shaped by his or her social and political experiences. Standpoints are argued to be multifaceted rather than essentializing: for example, while Hispanic women may generally share some perspectives, particularly with regard to ethnicity or sex, they are not defined solely by these viewpoints despite some common features there is no essentially Hispanic female identity. Group experiences create a general and permanent perspective of an immense situation but without personal experiences one’s standpoint cannot become truly comprehensible. The amalgamation of a person's many experienced dimensions form a standpoint—a point of view—through which that individual sees and understands the world. Standpoint theorists emphasize the utility of a naturalistic, or everyday experiential, concept of knowing (i.e., epistemology). One's standpoint (whether reflexively considered or not) shapes which concepts are intelligible, which claims are heard and understood by whom, which features of the world are perceptually salient, which reasons are understood to be relevant and forceful, and which conclusions credible. Standpoint theory supports what feminist theorist Sandra Harding calls strong objectivity, or the notion that the perspectives of marginalized and/or oppressed individuals can help to create more objective accounts of the world. Through the outsider-within phenomenon, these individuals are placed in a unique position to point to patterns of behavior that those immersed in the dominant group culture are unable to recognize. Standpoint theory gives voice to the marginalized groups by allowing them to challenge the status quo as the outsider within. The status quo representing the dominant white male position of privilege. The predominant culture in which all groups exist is not experienced in the same way by all persons or groups. The views of those who belong to groups with more social power are validated more than those in marginalized groups. Those in marginalized groups must learn to be bicultural, or to 'pass' in the dominant culture to survive, even though that perspective is not their own. The original inspirations for standpoint theory can be seen in the works of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a German idealist philosopher, who studied the different standpoints between slaves and masters in 1807. He claimed that the master-slave relationship is about people's belonging positions, and the groups affect how people receive knowledge and power. Karl Marx also discussed how the position of a worker shapes his or her knowledge. From these two scholars' studies, Nancy Hartsock examined standpoint theory by using relations between men and women. She published 'The Feminist Standpoint: Developing Ground for a Specifically Feminist Historical Materialism' in 1983. Hartsock used Hegel's ideas of masters and slaves and Marx's ideas of class and capitalism as an inspiration to look into matters of sex and gender. Contemporary standpoint theory often focuses on the social positions such as gender, race, class, culture, and economic status. Standpoint theory seeks to develop a particular feminist epistemology, that values the experiences of women and minorities as a source for knowledge.. Prominent standpoint theorists include Dorothy Smith, Nancy Hartsock, Donna Haraway, Sandra Harding, Alison Wylie, Lynette Hunter and Patricia Hill Collins. Generally, standpoint theory gives insight into specific circumstances only available to the members of a certain collective standpoint. According to Michael Ryan, 'the idea of a collective standpoint does not imply an essential overarching characteristic but rather a sense of belonging to a group bounded by a shared experience.' Kristina Rolin states that 'the assumption of essentialism is that all women share the same socially grounded perspective in virtue of being women, the assumption of automatic epistemic privilege is that epistemic advantage accrues to the subordinate automatically, just in virtue of their occupying a particular social position.' According to this approach: