Handbook of Social Justice in Loss and Grief

Exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Darcy L. Harris, Tashel C. Bordere, Darcy L. Harris, Tashel C. Bordere

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781138949935
• eBook ISBN: 9781317334996
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychologie
• Subtopic: Santé mentale en psychologie

The Handbook of Social Justice in Loss and Grief is a scholarly work of social criticism, richly grounded in personal experience, evocative case studies, and current multicultural and sociocultural theories and research. It is also consistently practical and reflective, challenging readers to think through responses to ethically complex scenarios in which social justice is undermined by radically uneven opportunity structures, hierarchies of voice and privilege, personal and professional power, and unconscious assumptions, at the very junctures when people are most vulnerable—at points of serious illness, confrontation with end-of-life decision making, and in the throes of grief and bereavement. Harris and Bordere give the reader an active and engaged take on the field, enticing readers to interrogate their own assumptions and practices while increasing, chapter after chapter, their cultural literacy regarding important groups and contexts. The Handbook of Social Justice in Loss and Grief deeply and uniquely addresses a hot topic in the helping professions and social sciences and does so with uncommon readability.

Part One
Introductory Concepts

In this part, we provide some foundational material to serve as the context for the rest of the book.

We begin by exploring the elements of social justice and the various issues that are often considered when adopting socially just practices. Some of the terminology that will be used throughout the book is presented here as well, so that the reader will know the precise meaning and usage of these terms as they occur in various chapters.

We then introduce the concepts of critical theory and analysis, providing several case study examples to help the reader begin the process of critical inquiry in situations that may be relevant to loss and grief. Readers are asked at several points to stop and consider how issues related to power dynamics, social status, and cultural/ethnic identification may have an impact upon access to resources, care delivery, and choices in contexts associated with end of life care, loss, and grief.

These two chapters essentially “set the stage” for the subsequent chapters in the book. Readers are invited to return to these two chapters periodically for reinforcement and clarity of terms and a reminder of the overarching theme(s) for this volume.

1
Social Justice Conceptualizations in Grief and Loss

Tashel C. Bordere

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

In a game of coed, intramural flag football, during graduate school, and in the absence of my brother who otherwise “blocked” for me, I was tackled and injured by an opponent charging full speed as I ran the ball just short of a touchdown. As I sat with friends in the hospital emergency waiting room, in nearly unbearable pain, I grimaced and dropped my head. And peering down through torrential tears that clouded my vision, I discerned the brightly colored flaps of the orange flag, still intact, blanketed across my lap, ever so tightly fastened around my waist. In that moment, a frown-like smile, like sun through a cloud and brief escape from pain. He broke my leg, I thought in defeat-like pride, but he didn’t get my flag.

As we think of social justice, it is common to conjure violent images and associations with protests and other vicious battles. Although such acts may undoubtedly accompany the journey to overcome barriers that further social justice efforts, the actual experience of justice is often felt in the most silent of moments, yielding individuals a deep sense of solace and broadened opportunity structure. It is this solace and quest for equitable opportunities that drive many of us in our work with the bereaved.

Social Justice and Diversity

In this chapter, I explicate social justice and associated concepts, explore applications of these terms, and conclude with a death and loss case scenario. Foundational concepts around social justice, diversity, and loss have distinct meanings yet are inextricably intertwined. An understanding of these concepts gives us a shared language and helps us in our work in bereavement.

Social justice as defined in this chapter is based on Bell’s (1997) framing of it which includes:

Full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society in which the distribution of resources is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure.

(p. 3)

Socially just practice intersects with culturally conscientious practice, which involves meeting the variant needs of families through an understanding and openness to evolving knowledge of their social locations (e.g., family structure, ability, sexuality, class, nationality, ethnicity, spirituality; Bordere, 2009). When we attend to the social locations in which individuals are situated, we are better positioned to enter into collaborative relationships and engage in community-centered practice that promotes equity and human dignity (Fowler, 2008).

Culture

The concept of culture is often equated with minority status and hence associated with under-representation (e.g., Latino, female). However, individuals across groups are cultural beings. Culture refers to the beliefs, attitudes, values (collectivism vs. individualism), behaviors (family roles), and practices (e.g., death rituals) shared by a group (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2011) to support its survival within various contexts (Hoopes, 1979, p. 3). Culture is largely unconscious. That is, we participate in behaviors and decision-making processes each day, often without conscious awareness. In presentations and workshops, I typically encourage individuals (and I assume the same challenge) to unlearn something new each day, to be mindful of everyday behaviors, choices, interactions, and thought processes. Why did I, for example, order my meal before dessert when I went to the restaurant for the bread pudding? In death and bereavement, what thought process has allowed or not allowed me to reach out to an underserved population within the community in which my program is located?

Culture gives people identity and is often transmitted across generations. Some aspects of culture are represented visibly through symbols (e.g., memorial t-shirts and tattoos, New Orleans Second Line funeral rituals) while other aspects of culture are not as directly observable (e.g., the meaning of rebuilding a lost home after a natural disaster). There is great diversity within and across cultural groups. For example, diversity is found within disabled populations (individuals with cognitive and/or physical disabilities) and across populations of disabled and abled individuals. The same behaviors may have unique symbolic meanings for individuals within and across groups. Thus, being competent in one interaction does not ensure competence in another interaction even with an individual from the same group (Rosenblatt, 2009).

Privilege and Power

Privilege is a phenomenon of which to be aware when exploring dynamics and interactions with bereaved populations. In understanding privilege, let us distinguish between unearned entitlements and unearned advantages (McIntosh, 2007). Unearned entitlements refer to basic things that everyone should have, such as a sense of safety at school or work and accessible health care. Comparatively, an unearned advantage is a form of privilege in which unearned entitlements, or things that should be available to everyone, are limited to particular groups. That is, people who are part of dominant/power/privilege groups or located in the “center” benefit and have access to things that people in less-power groups or who exist in the margins do not. Rodriguez, McNeal, and Cauce (2008) explain the concept of the “center”:

People at the center or mainstream of a particular social group have the utmost privilege. With every move away from the center, layers of privilege are removed, and persons at the very edge of the margins may be marginalized by people who are themselves marginalized by others.

(p. 226)

We all have personal power. We have the power to determine our thoughts and perceptions of events. However, the power located at the center that dominant or privileged groups are able to access includes social, economic, and political power or the power to determine, make rules that govern society, and ultimately decide for others. This creates oppression or the “double-bind” in which

living one’s life is confined and shaped by forces and barriers which are not accidental or occasional . . . but are systematically related to each other in such a way as to catch one between and among them and restrict or penalize motion in any direction.

(Frye, 1998)

A perceived exemption from privileged status and participation in the cycle of oppression is found among some who otherwise exist in dominant/advantaged groups. This happens for a variety reasons, including a misconception of privilege as a worry-free life of wealth (“But I’m not rich!”). Although groups and institutions have and continue to accumulate wealth at the expense of others, privilege is not synonymous with wealth or a challenge-free life. It does, however, include benefits such as being offered pain medication more frequently than individuals from underrepresented groups for the same injury or health condition (white male privilege); being given information about a death (ability privilege); and the ability to share a room with one’s life partner in an assisted living facility (heterosexual privilege).

We all have multiple social identities (e.g., age, race, ability, ethnicity, gender, family structure) that intersect. Thus, everyone may experience some degree of privilege and disadvantage. The more characteristics or social identities that connect individuals to privileged statuses, the more access to resources and opportunities they experience. Conversely, the more characteristics that place individuals in less-power or target groups, the less likely they are to share equally in the power base and benefit from accompanying opportunities. An abled, English-speaking, heterosexual male will experience more privilege in American culture than an individual who is underrepresented on those characteristics. Privilege may be gained or lost as a function of cultural shifts, experiences, and developmental transitions. For instance, a young able-bodied female who benefits from advantages associated with youth privilege will be targeted in later life as a consequence of ageism and may struggle to access affordable, quality health care. As civil rights leader, Martin Luther King (1963, Letter from the Birmingham Jail) emphasized, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Individuals may be unaware of their privileged status and its benefits. This ability to not consider or be aware of one’s advantaged position in society, or what is described as the “luxury of obliviousness,” is a privilege in itself (Johnson, 2006). Think now of dominant or power groups that come to mind for you in the society in which you live and of a characteristic or feature of your social identity that places you in a power group(s). In her section of the book’s introduction, Darcy Harris wrote about growing up with this type of privilege. As highlighted, culture is largely unconscious and many norms, particularly advantages, become taken for granted. Thus, it may require some time and thought to bring these aspects of your identity to conscious awareness.

The initial awareness of privilege can be difficult as privilege does mean benefiting at the expense of someone else. A common feeling around privilege includes guilt (e.g., white guilt related to white privilege; Iyer, Leach, & Crosby, 2003; Powell, Branscombe, & Schmitt, 2005). Mixed feelings may also come with the recognition of privilege. It may be distressing to realize that one is benefiting at the expense of another. At the same time, privilege or unearned advantages can be hard to relinquish. Who wants to give up extra safety and police protection in their neighborhoods, the ease of shopping without being followed as a result of age or racial profiling, or the ability to have their partner accompany them in the intensive care unit during hospitalization?

Alliances

As a way of breaking down oppressive forces, some individuals in dominant groups recognize their privileged status and form alliances or use their unearned advantages to benefit less power groups (Ayvazian, 2007). For example, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, famous American actors, delayed their wedding plans until same-sex couples were also afforded the right to marry in some states and could share in the 1000-plus benefits and protections provided under federal law through the act of marriage (Human Rights Canpaign, n.d.). Ayvazian (2007) highlights that “allied behavior is intentional, overt, consistent activity that challenges prevailing patterns of oppression, makes privileges that are so often invisible visible, and facilitates empowerment of persons targeted by oppression” (p. 724). Where there is privilege, there is disparity. Where there are allies, there is greater hope for change. What are some ways in which you have functioned or wish to function as an ally?

Marginalization

People who are marginalized tend to have some awareness of the limited resources (e.g., social, political, economic, emotional) and opportunities available to them compared to people in the center who may or may not recognize their privileged status. Less powerful groups also tend to be cognizant of the ways that they may be perceived (devalued) or treated (exploited) as members of marginalized groups. They are also socialized with an understanding of privilege and dominance or an “outsider-within” perspective (Collins, 1990, p. 12). Survival in the margins is contingent upon such awareness and socialization processes. In Souls of Black Folk, DuBois (1903/1969) describes this dual awareness as analogous to navigating life with a double-consciousness:

It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his [her] two-ness, . . . two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.

(p. 45)

Where less dominant groups are less aware, they are reminded of their marginalized status and disenfranchisement through policies and messages received within their social and political contexts. I was familiar, for example, with the idea that same-sex unions lacked many of the rights or unearned advantages of heterosexual couples (Human Rights Campaign, n. d.). However, I did not understand the full implications until I was denied time with my own child due to an absence of custody rights in the dissolution of same-sex partnerships. In coping with the loss of my older living child, I was sent messages from both marginalized and privileged individuals that undermined, minimized, or denied my status as a parent and my loss experience as significant. As I grappled with this harsh reality and most difficult time of my life, I was told in reassuring tones by many well-meaning people, in both GLBTQ and heterosexual communities, that I could have another child, and not to worry, that my daughter (age 3 ¹⁄2) was young and would forget about me. As if offering comfort, “Don’t worry,” a close friend said, “she won’t remember you.”

A common fear in socially just and culturally conscientious practice is that of offending (e.g., What if I say the wrong thing? What if I offend the person?). This fear is important yet also reflects an understanding of justice as relegated to an emotional process. It assumes that we will do justice by people if we avoid or minimize hurt feelings. It disregards the fact that social injustices are not as predicated on interpersonal relationships as they are on power hierarchies and inequities therein (Johnson, 2006). Although offensive statements and hurt feelings matter and should no doubt be considered, it is actually the diminished opportunity structure related to privilege and oppression that has larger implications. The un-affirming statements simply add another layer to oppressive forces, the icing on the cake, if you will. That is, as painful as it remains, I find ways to cope with insensitive comments and advice about child loss. However, the inability to see my child due to restricted laws has had serious and far reaching implications for me as a parent in the absence of...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Series Editor’s Foreword
• Foreword—Situating Social Justice and Diversity Issues within the Context of Loss and Grief
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• PART ONE Introductory Concepts
• PART TWO Issues Related to Social Status, Policy, and Politics
• PART THREE Issues Related to Groups
• PART FOUR Individual Experiences in Social Contexts
• PART FIVE Practice Implications
• Conclusion
• Index