Question for my social activist flisties

[next_to_normal]

When did the term "privilege" (with respect to *isms) come into popular use? I personally first heard it on the internet through BtVS fandom, so less than 3 years ago (and have never heard anyone use it in real life), but y'know, I'm slow. Anyone know when it started being used?

The reason I ask is because I'm reading this article for class, which is basically about how white privilege and economic privilege make certain groups "politically invisible," except it never actually uses the word "privilege," and I'm sure it was written way before that became common terminology, but it made me curious as to when that actually happened.

Comments

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

I first heard it at a faculty meeting where we were asked to reflect on white privilege. I want to say that meeting happened in the mid-1990's. But it could have been as late as 2000.

[next_to_normal]

That's interesting. Earlier than I'd have expected (I had kind of thought, from my own experience, that it became popular on the internet first, and then trickled into RL usage, but maybe not, if the book was published in 1988).

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I heard it (or it registered on my consciousness as a new "thing" to know) until the last Writer Con. Obviously, it had been around a while by then.

[next_to_normal]

Yeah, by the time I'd heard it, it had definitely been around for a while.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

No clue about the topic of the actual post, but it never ceases to amaze me how much smarter and more self aware the Buffy fandom has made me in terms of social justice and feminist issues. Go us, because I think we could all use a "go us" right now.

[next_to_normal]

Word. Actually, to give credit where it's due, I'd say that fandom in general is more aware of these issues, not just Buffy fans.

[dipenates.livejournal.com]

Peggy Mitchell published "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies" in 1988.

(ETA: On which foundation so many of the 'unpacking privilege' internet-based checklists / guides seem to be based.)

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

Psssst:

It's Peggy McIntosh, not Peggy Mitchell. Peggy Mitchell is the character played by Barbara Windsor on 'Eastenders'. :-)

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_McIntosh

[dipenates.livejournal.com]

Ha, how funny! I think I was looking at something Roland Mitchell wrote when I was typing this.

[next_to_normal]

Thanks! I didn't realize it (a) was that long ago, and (b) originated from a book, although I probably should've guessed (I am so internet-centric, lol).

[dipenates.livejournal.com]

It was a working paper, I think, although it may have been anthologised. I totally know what you mean about internet-centrism. I thought your question was really interesting, so I started leafing through the contents pages of a couple of feminist theory books in search of an earlier usage than '88, but the lack of Ctrl-F made me stop after about two minutes. I don't think I could go back to the old ways!

[next_to_normal]

LOL, I know! I did the same thing when I was writing a paper last semester, and I had to go through the index of every book I had to see if they addressed my topic, and I kept thinking, "OMG this would be so much easier if I could Ctrl-F!!!"