Oppression, Dehumanization and Exploitation: Connecting Theory to Experience

This chapter presents the theoretical and pedagogical conclusions I have come to based on teaching oppression-related content to graduate and undergraduate students as part of oppression, social welfare policy, and human behavior in the social environment (HBSE) courses. The chapter is divided into four main parts: (1) the practice, teaching, and learning context in which the author's theoretical and experiential exercise evolved; (2) a conceptual typology that for theoretical, heuristic, and pedagogical reasons I seek to differentiate between oppression, dehumanization, and exploitation; (3) an exercise in which students generate words and affective phrases associated with the experience of oppression, dehumanization, and exploitation; (4) an annotated copy of the compendium of words and affective phrases. The conclusion of the chapter outlines the potential for further development of such a typology of content related to oppression, dehumanization, and exploitation (ODE content), and the use of an experiential exercise within social work education.