INTEGRATION /ˌɪntɪˈgreɪʃən/ noun. [From 1610s, to mean “act of bringing together the parts of a whole,” from French intégration, from Late Latin integrationem “to make whole.”]
Probably better than assimilation, but a poor second to inclusion.
Unfortunately assumed to be a benign process by which someone is incorporated into a society.
A step, once understood as the only one necessary for dominant groups to deal with others.
Assumes a list of adjustments that newcomers must make to become acceptable.
Views societies as static and brittle that will crumble upon contact with difference.
Provokes fear under the guise of stability.
Discourages innate human curiosity.
Denies happy human complexity.
Totally wrongheaded.
POWER /ˈpaʊə/ noun. [From 1300s, “ability to act or do, authority, strength,” from Anglo-Norman French pouair, from Old French povoir, “to be able,” from Latin potis “powerful.”]
The possession of control, authority, or influence over others.
An incontrovertible fact, present in all human interactions.
Can be found in right hands and wrong hands alike.
Historically housed in states, governments, armies, and religions.
Over the last half century, increasingly transferred from public to private interests, without any mechanisms of citizen control.
Now being challenged by new actors who seek to wield their own power to affect their desired outcomes outside these institutions.
For all that, still predominantly held by white men.
[See: agency; democracy;] CF/SY.
AGENCY /ˈeɪʤənsi/ noun. [From medieval Latin agentia “effective, powerful,” from 1650s to mean: “active operation,” from 1670s to mean: “a mode of exerting power or producing effect.”]
Action personified. A grand aspiration of young Westerners, mainly Anglophone, in the early 21st century.
An ethical belief that the misdistribution of power must be corrected.
The determination to let silenced voices be heard.
An ability limited or amplified by structural factors, including class, age, gender, religion, education, and ethnicity.
Often burdened by high expectations.
Frequently used by frustrated individuals driven to fury by political orthodoxy.
Tends to underestimate the power situated in legislatures, global institutions, corporations, and their bureaucracies.
Claimed, not given.
COMMUNITY /kəˈmjuːnɪti/ noun. [From Old French comunité “community, everybody,” from Latin communitatem “society, fellowship,” from communis “common, public, shared by all.”]
A group of individuals with shared commonality.
A self-declared body with collective religious, political, professional, social, or even national affiliations.
A way to belong.
The experience of empowerment, legitimation, solidarity, and security.
Gone wrong, a force of atomization, largely unintentional.
A term so overused it has triggered skepticism about its intentions.
[See: belonging; citizen;] CF/SY.
DEMOCRACY /dɪˈmɒkrəsi/ noun. [From French démocratie, from Medieval Latin democratia, from Greek demokratia “popular government,” from demos “common people” + kratos “rule, strength, power.”]
In trouble in 2018.
An expression of the citizen as the source of legitimacy of the state.
An idea that has steadily expanded to enfranchise all adults, including women, people of colour, and Indigenous peoples.
A system once naïvely declared to be the endpoint of humanity’s political evolution.
Not as parochial as many believe, with roots in many places not named Greece.
For some, merged and acquired by private interests over the last half-century.
For others, pace Churchill, the least bad of all systems.
A form of government built on credible institutions but dependent on engaged citizens. One requires the other.
[See: agency; citizen; power;] CF/SY.
INCLUSION /ɪnˈkluːʒən/ noun. [From 1839, to mean “that which is included,” from 1600s, to mean “act of making a part of,” from Latin inclusionem “to shut in, to enclose.”]
The act of including, the state of being included, with unhelpful Latin roots.
Actually, the process of creating an authentic space for belonging, regardless of who you are or how long you have been here.
Once established, best left to grow on its own and shape itself.
Dead in the water if reduced to government policy.
Complicated by realistic expectations on an unrealistic timeline.
Essential for gauging a society’s fairness and spiritual health.
Ultimately, about learning how to live together.
[See: belonging; community; integration;] AC.
BELONGING /bɪˈlɒŋɪŋ/ noun. [From Old English langian- “to go along with, to pertain to,” from late 14th century, meaning “to be a member of,” Germanic origin.]
The fundamental human need to be a part of something larger.
Once understood as a necessity for survival, now a sign of psychological well-being.
Thrives on cooperative sharing and balanced relationships with others.
A necessary ingredient for social, cultural, political, and economic resilience.
I belong, therefore I can.
CITIZEN /ˈsɪtɪzn/ noun. [From Anglo-Norman French citezein; Based on Latin civitas “city.”]
Athens! The French Revolution!
The source and guarantor of legitimacy of any nation-state, democratic or not.
Under constant attack and denial by those with power, whether public or private.
Not to be confused with a taxpayer.
The opposite of stakeholder, a Mussolinian term which reduces an individual to membership in an interest group.
Volunteerism is a manifestation of the engaged citizen, not a sector.
The citizen cannot be a client of government services. The citizen owns the state.
[See: agency; community; democracy;] JRS.
EPISTEMOLOGY
The study of the nature and scope of knowledge and justified belief. It analyses the nature of knowledge and how it relates to similar notions such as truth, belief and justification.
Everything we know is based of what we know and understand the world.
The study of knowledge.
The theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope, and the distinction between justified belief and opinion.
STIGMATIZED verb (used with object), stig·ma·tized, stig·ma·tiz·ing.
To set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon:The crime of the father stigmatized the whole family.
To mark with a stigma or brand.
to produce stigmata, marks, spots, or the like, on.
Definitions of words/terms
(sources: https://www.6degreesto.com/dictionary/ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/stigmatize )