Rethinking respectability politics

Abstract

Respectability politics-that is, the process by which privileged members of marginalized groups comply with dominant social norms to advance their group's condition-is the object of a growing body of literature in the fields of race and ethnic studies, social movements, and critical theory. Yet this body of literature remains theoretically unintegrated.This article offers a clarification of the concept by specifying who can resort to this type of politics and by characterizing respectability politics as an inherently ambivalent political strategy, one that stands at the crossroads of forms of resistance and accommodation of oppressive structures.The article also demonstrates the concept's potential to move beyond its current application in African American studies, as respectability politics holds promise in providing insights on the oppositional politics of other marginalized groups' members (such as Muslims in Europe or Latino/as in the United States). Lastly, the article sketches four research directions in the study of respectability politics, with important implications for understanding the workings of social conformance under domination.

The Consent of the Oppressed: An Analysis of Internalized Racism and Islamophobia among Muslims in Spain

“…We have chosen to term this as IR: a mechanism that is a part of racial oppression. We have observed how many participants use respectability strategies (Dazey 2021) by attempting to portray themselves as “people of order,” assuming the social myth that if someone is questioned by the police it is because they have committed some offense. Likewise, many of them tend to play down the verbal and/or physical racist violence they experience during these types of controls, absolving public administrations from all accusations of institutionalized violence or racism, reproducing the social myths that the police are only doing their job; that these actions fall within the law; and, at all events, acknowledging their powerlessness to do anything about them.…”

“…It is for this reason that many participants insist on shrugging off the stigma of control and present themselves as “people of order”; in other words, similar to those that comprise the majority social group who are not subject to any particular controls and do not have a particularly negative opinion of police actions. This could be considered an example of respectability politics (Dazey 2021); namely the process whereby members of marginalized groups attempt to comply with dominant social norms. In this case, the norm would be to avoid any clashes with the police and/or not to question their control work:[In] this town here, as I see it, well the police have nothing against immigrants until you do something wrong, something bad.…”

Navigating and Countering Everyday Antimuslim Racism: The Case of Muslim Women in Sweden

“…The strategies are often of reactive character as they are formulated in response to suspicion. They work to alter public behavior and images of marginalized groups (Higginbotham, 1993: 196 as referenced in Dazey, 2021). Often the strategies within this kind of politics include disciplining of one’s body and speech into the social norms of society.…”

“…Through the years, respectability politics have been subject to critique for individualizing social inequalities and leading to compliance with dominant social norms and structures. However, Dazey (2021) highlights how respectability politics falls between outright resistance and total compliance, often combining different ways of compliance, apathy, and resistance against marginalizing structures. Thus, actions of oppressed communities often lead to simultaneous effects of transformation and reproduction.…”

“…The prejudice or exclusion they may encounter in everyday life can be subtle. An important dimension of respectability politics is the role so-called ‘safe spaces’ can play in order to share experiences and build each others confidence (Dazey, 2021; Higginbotham, 1993). Here, the humorous banter among friends can be understood as recognizing each other as subjects.…”