Product Description

This brief book is a groundbreaking tool for students and non-students alike to examine systems of privilege and difference in our society. Written in an accessible, conversational style, Johnson links theory with engaging examples in ways that enable readers to see the underlying nature and consequences of privilege and their connection to it. This extraordinarily successful book has been used across the country, both inside and outside the classroom, to shed light on issues of power and privilege.

Allan Johnson has worked on issues of social inequality since receiving his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan in 1972. He has more than thirty years of teaching experience and is a frequent speaker on college and university campuses. Johnson has earned a reputation for writing that is exceptionally clear and explanations of complex ideas that are accessible to a broad audience.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23346 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 184 pages

Customer Reviews

Great Content, Gentle Delivery
When I first saw the title for this book, I thought it was going to be another of those books that make you feel sick and worthless once you get to the end. This couldn't have been further from the truth. Allen's book was engaging, gentle, but powerful. It was thorough in describing the impact of power and privilege in a way that can be felt and understood even by those who are not familiar with (or generally interested in) critical studies and sociology. I found this to be a text that I could engage with, but also one that I could share with those who had a hard time seeing the lines of power and how they impact all of our relationships in many different ways.

I highly recommend this book both to those who have worked with the material of oppression for a long time as well as for those who are struggling to understand what it's all about. The book is powerful and gentle at the same time - something that is very important when dealing with issues of oppression and equity.

This book really makes a difference!
I adopted this very readable book as one of several required books for my Multicultural Psychology class and it has had a tremendous impact on my students. Johnson explains the concept of privilege, as it applies to race, gender and sexual orientation, in ways that allow my White students and other students with privilege to hear and understand without getting defensive. He desribes why change is difficult but not impossible, what we can all do to stop supporting "the system" and why we should. I recommend it highly for both college and high school students and the general adult population.

Superb, non-threatening and helpful
As an instructor working in the Humanities, finding non-threatening ways to talk about privilege, whiteness, and/or racism is very challenging. As I read the negative reviews, I am even more aware of how difficult it is to get these ideas across without being accused of self-hatred, etc. In an effort to encourage positive self reflection on these complex issues, I have read many of the foundation works Dr. Johnson mentions. His recapituation of these ideas is indeed gentle. One of the best things he does is make it possible for individuals to recognize that, while they may have unearned entitlements in one area, they may not have them in another. In this way, it is possible for practically everyone to recognize the feeling of being an outsider and this can lead to a compassion and understanding that has NOTHING TO DO with guilt. This work can create a bridge. As an instructor in the area of cultural studies, I often must challenge individuals who believe feeling guilty is all they can do. It isn't. Dr. Johnson gives us actions that we as individuals can actually engage. BTW the chapter on Capitalism is elegant dynamite.
If you are open to the possibility that things can get better through a personal self-reflective understanding of our socio-economic location, read this book. If not, don't waste your time.