Oppression, False Consciousness, and Emancipation

Abstract

Oppressive systems persist both because of their coercive powers and because of their ideological hold over people, which can distort the oppressed’s epistemic perspective of their situation, even if they also enjoy epistemic advantages over the non-oppressed. I argue that once we give due weight to the problem of false consciousness, it becomes clear that if we want to understand and fight oppression, there is a need for theory that goes beyond the views of the oppressed as they stand. This position has strong roots in the Political Philosophy of some Black Nationalists and Radicals, yet is often thought to be problematically elitist. My thesis argues that the emphasis on theory is neither objectionably dogmatic, nor insufficiently attentive to political equality. Rather, I argue that systematic theorizing is essential for emancipatory projects given how oppression tends to engender false consciousness.