Standpoint Theory DO NOT COPY USE AS A TOOL
Standpoint theory is “the social, material, and symbolic circumstances of a social group that shapes how members perceive, interpret, and act toward events” (4). ... One of the main points of Standpoint Theory deals with the relationship between culture and communication. ... First a little background on Standpoint. According to standpoint theory, cultures are hierarchy ordered. ... She says that knowledge is not singular but plural, meaning that attitudes and behaviors common to women, men, African-Americans, and other social groups are cultivated by their locations in particular spheres of social life. To explain this point I’ll use the example from Sara Ruddick. She explains that a women’s maternal thinking is learned not instinct. ... But of course we know that this is not true because you cannot judge one social class based on what one member does. The critical assessments are that there is no standpoint that is superior. How can one say that a certain standpoint is superior to another one? ... The other criticism is that the theory runs the risk of obscuring diversity within groups. ... The theory does not reflect this point of view and assumes that there are no differences among members of a group. ... It is in this context that an awareness of standpoint theory is useful across a range of areas and issues. In the practice of research, we need to subject the social values that incorporate in our theoretical perspectives to analysis, as otherwise the framework in which we make sense will not be questioned. ... As an analytical tool, standpoint can be more useful than its fallibility in producing truth suggests.