Privilege: A Reader

by Michael S. Kimmel

Privilege is about more than being white, wealthy, and male, as Michael Kimmel, Abby Ferber, and a range of contributors make clear in this timely anthology. In an era when 'diversity' is too often shorthand for 'of color' and/or 'female' the personal and analytical essays in this collection explore the multifaceted nature of social location and consider how gender, class, race, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, and religion interact to create nuanced layers of privilege and oppression. The individual essays (taken together) guide students to a deep understanding of the dynamics of diversity and stratification, advantage, and power.

The fourth edition features thirteen new essays that help students understand the intersectional nature of privilege and oppression and has new introductory essays to contextualize the readings. These enhancements, plus the updated pedagogical features of discussion questions and activities at the end of each section, encourage students to examine their own beliefs, practices, and social location.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Feminism, Social Justice, Essays, Race, Theory

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2003

About the author

Michael Scott Kimmel is an American sociologist, specializing in gender studies. He is among the leading researchers and writers on men and masculinity in the world today. The author or editor of more than twenty volumes, his books include The Politics of Manhood, and The History of Men (2005).

His documentary history, "Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in the United States, 1776-1990" (Beacon, 1992), chronicled men who supported women’s equality since the founding of the country. His book, Manhood in America: A Cultural History (1996) was hailed as the definitive work on the subject. Reviewers called the book "wide-ranging, level headed, human and deeply interesting," "superb...thorough, impressive and fascinating."

His most recent book, Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (2008) is a best-selling investigation of young people’s lives today, based on interviews with more than 400 young men, ages 16-26. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem said that "Michael Kimmel's Guyland could save the humanity of many young men – and the sanity of their friends and parents."

Kimmel holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in New York, and is a spokesperson of NOMAS (The National Organization For Men Against Sexism).

He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.

Reviews

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this book to be spectacular. Michael Kimmel is one of the most extraordinary and inspirational scholars of masculinity. Kimmel's work in this edited collection is startling and powerful.

But the chapters in this book are uneven. Also - and I read the fourth edition - this version is very much geared for students. Undergraduate students.

Readers are pitched to different audiences. I believe this book is pitched too low. It still has revelatory moments that are profoundly significant to theorizations of inequality and injustice. But I would have preferred a higher level of theorization.

[Samwell Raleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. Touches on many aspects of privilege, and even key cornerstone essays about privilege as well. Despite being published in 2010, it fails to talk about any transgender issues other than in passing comments. That is my singular frustration with this book.

[Annah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reader that addresses white/male/heterosexual/Christian/upper class/able privileges, often intersectionally. This is my first time reading the actual book, though I've encountered most of what's in it in classes and conferences. Twenty chapters from different authors on various types, structures, and persistences of privilege. The first half is a great primer.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

some of the entries feel like lists for the sake of making lists, but a great deal the materials delivers as clear eyed explanation and monologue. Useful for learning more without getting bogged down.

[Servabo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems like every week I get an email from someone demanding to know why there’s no White History Month or White Entertainment Television or why whites aren’t allowed to have organizations to defend “our” interests, the way people of color are, without being thought of as racists. That so many people find this kind of argumentation persuasive would be humorous were it not so dangerous and so indicative of the way in which our nation has yet to come to grips with its racist history. Had we honestly confronted racism as an issue, past and present, it is unlikely that such positions would make sense to anyone. After all, every month has been white history month, even if it wasn’t called that. White history has been made the normative history, the default position.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book definitely broadened my understanding of privilege.

[Howie Kahekili]

Privilege explores the concept of whom, what, how, and why the term privilege came about within societies all around the world. This book comprises of different essays from scholarly authors in pertains to the importance of social justice. It is edgy but informs its readers about the flaws of American society. For example, there are many checklists or lists within this book that talks about Black Male Privilege or the difference between a "white terrorists" and "other terrorists." The comparisons and analysis indicates the prevalence of racism spread throughout the United States. Many Americans are colorblind due to the ignorance of society surpassing racial issues. Fortunately, Privilege tears down how privilege can be split into different levels and how people can hide behind their own privileges to justify certain justice systems of the United States. In the end, Kimmel encourages his readers to take the oppression from our oppressors and make it known in order to have reforms in American society.

[Anne Lutomia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice introduction to varieties of privilege. The lists of privileges that certain groups have were provocative. It is a good resource for teaching privilege because it provides a section on discussion questions and activities that students can work on at home or in class.

These sentences in the book got me thinking. "Often we will associate ourselves with the trappings of the class to which we aspire as opposed to the class from which we actually come" p. 8.

"Class can be concealed and feels like something we have earned all by ourselves. Therefore, class privilege may be the one set of privileges we are least interested in examining because they feel like they are ours by right, not by birth. All the more reason to take a look at class" p. 9.

[Joel D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book as someone familiar with identity politics, but wanting to learn more and understand better what role I can play in opposing oppression. I got what I needed (or at least some of it). The essays are challenging and provocative and look at issues of intersectionality, privilege and oppression from many different angles.

As a white man I found this book particularly useful because I feel it is to an extent aimed at me, with writers sharing relatable experiences of working from a place of privilege to understand and oppose oppression. So glad I've read this.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and cutting edge reader. An academically oriented, intersectional analysis from many authors in a variety of disciplines on various states or degrees of "privilege" of being white, middle-class male, heterosexual, etc.

[Natalie Dicke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for as a course textbook, and it was amazing. I learned so much about my privilege and bias that I didn’t realize. I recommend this 100% for anyone that wants to look deeper into themselves.

[Antonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great concept. Too much focus on males.

[Linchetto · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was required for a class; I did not choose to read this and a few chapters in I would chucked in the garbage but quizzes were based partly on it, so had to continue. In a nutshell, some people have privileges, other's do not BUT, being white, male, heterosexual and Protestant apparently, is the golden combination to all locks on the doorways to high society. From this we are supposed acknowledge our "privilege" to understand and have empathy for those, without privilege, which BTW, is a relative term. Anyway if we all do a micro study of our whiteness, gayness, blackness.... somehow this ridiculous amount of focusing on such inane BS, will magically create understanding, therefore total equality, where people would actually not sit around dwelling on the superficial (like this book) and work together, towards doing something substantial.