Standpoint theory

A standpoint theory asserts a dependency of gaining knowledge of the position within social relations of domination. It says that there are better and worse positions from which the world can be viewed and interpreted. Tend the perspective of a dominated group for an objective perception is better suited than the perspective from the standpoint of the ruling group.

The term standpoint theory was only coined in postmodernism in academic discussion. Particularly common was the term before and feminist standpoint theory, but was expanded to other approaches. Representatives of various feminist and Marxist theories use the term itself, while all other assignments are made in hindsight; in the systems themselves, the term does not occur.

The standpoint theory is often part of " identity politics ".

Theses of the theory point of view

• A position affects taking what attitude the people of the socially constructed world over.
• All points of view create biases or prejudices.
• Belonging to a social group largely determines the position occupied by the individual.
• The inequalities between different social groups favor different viewpoints.
• All views are biased, but some positions may be more objective than others.
• The position of a subordinate group is complete, because this has more reason to understand a dominant group, and because it has less interest to maintain the status quo.

Hegel's standpoint theory

Standpoint Theoretical concepts are in general at Hegel's domination and bondage chapter in the Phenomenology of Spirit of 1807. According to Hegel, the servant has an epistemological advantage over the Lord.

Marxist and CONTINUED to Marx standpoint theories

Karl Marx, Hegel's philosophy in relation to the production process in capitalism, in which master and servant himself - capitalists and proletarians - face as classes in an organized social relationship. From the perspective of the proletariat, the flow of the production process is in principle available because his effort, the relationship between self and object bring forth only. From the standpoint of the ruling class, however, the actual practices and the material conditions necessary for this purpose are not visible. From the standpoint of the proletariat resultiere his class consciousness and class struggle related, if it would of the class to be a class for itself.

A radical class point took the Proletcult movement ( 1917-1925 ). Your main theorist Alexander Bogdanov called for in his book Science and the working class from the creation of their own proletarian universities and the development of its own proletarian science of the working class viewpoint.

Georg Lukács designated in History and Class Consciousness the historical process than that which is forming the truth of the practice of a class.

Ernst Bloch also represents a standpoint theory in which he assumes a reciprocal subject-object relationship: you can not knowing which are beyond the knowledge, gain a position of the object, does not itself again only a mere point of view of the knowing subject - object relationship would be.

In the English language there is the approach which starts from the point of view of the workers, the concept Workerism. In the Italian workerism this position was also represented.

Howard Zinn has the history of the American people rewritten radically from the perspective of history from below, the position of the powerless.

According to Pierre Bourdieu based power relations of a society that, among other things in the space of lifestyles show on the available classes on types of capital. Bourdieu's standpoint theory is a critique of the so-called by him scholasticism, the seemingly unconditional and inconsequential knowledge production, but in reality to an incorporated, ie internalized human capital to the family environment is based. The scholastic situation is a place and a time of social weightlessness. It is important that the subjects of the objectification objectify themselves and thus take advantage of the one actor or a class possible awareness and room for maneuver.

Feminist standpoint theory

The feminist standpoint theories criticize androcentric worldviews, in the center of which men are, or masculinities are understood as a benchmark and standard. In addition, they take the position that women have a more objective approach to the world because of the patriarchal power relations. Better known feminist theorists of the standpoint theory are Nancy Hartsock, Patricia Hill Collins, Sandra Harding and Dorothy Smith.

Sandra Harding distinguishes the weak objectivity that only the scientist and the scientist objectivity required by the strict objectivity, which is distinguishing the fact that scientists and researchers aware miteinbezögen the standpoint of their own social group membership in the scientific work. Research should begin with the dominated groups. Harding calls by members of dominant groups a telltale awareness, bringing their own arrogance and ignorance of dominated groups should be ended. However, account must be taken that the people at the same time belonged to different communities and are therefore often simultaneously dominated and dominant groups belonging.

Donna Haraway tells the feminist standpoint theory, the criticism of the apparent objectivity of the ( patriarchal ) science that does not mitbedenke the social situatedness of knowledge. She speaks in this connection of the God - trick as the scientist would do so, as he would take a position outside the research object, a, as if his position sublime and godlike.