What is socialization? Am I affected by it? Am I a part of it?
For many of us, an inability to recognize socializing forces when we experience them facilitates the perpetuation of the socialization cycle. The reality is that we’re socialized every day — by our family, our school, our religion, etc.. Not only are we subjected to socialization by the institutions and cultural practices we may consider to be our own, but also by the many socializing systems of others.
According to Bobbie Harro, author of “The Cycle of Socialization,” socialization is the process through which we develop intersectional social identities that align with categorical differences we experience and observe interpersonally and communally. These social identities dictate the many forms of oppression we may experience in our lifetimes, as well as inhibit our access to resources, power, and agency within society. Some of our most prevalent social identities seen and experienced every day fall under the categories of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, economic class, and ability/disability. In her article, Harro encourages us to “make a personal inventory of our various social identities” related to the aforementioned categories in order to reveal our intersectional position within oppressive social systems. Upon completing this mental exercise, my inventory looked something like this:
I am a white female, 21 years of age, predominantly heterosexual, religiously unaffiliated, of the upper-middle economic class, and physically able.
By examining this culmination of subcategorical identities, I can reframe my perception of everyday experiences and observations. How do I experience oppression due to my gender? How am I privileged as a result of my economic status? What are the social advantages and disadvantages of being unaffiliated religiously? Each one of these identities affects my position and agency within a complex social hierarchy.
Harro’s theory of socialization is extremely helpful in revealing its extremity and the subsequent injustices perpetuated by those who cannot escape the cycle. She states that by “re-learning” socialized knowledge, we make room for more comprehensive information regarding our peers — those who have been marginalized, subjugated, oppressed, and/or unrecognized at unjust standards by our current socialization system. This is what Harro refers to as “developing critical consciousness.” Only when we recognize the pervasive actions and effects of socialization are we empowered to act against them and evoke changes towards a more accepting and equal society.
emswys 