Notes on the Management of Difference

Abstract

When a majority group assumes the power of instituting norms from which minority groups are seen to deviate, differences between these groups become institutionalized. Difference is then perceived as a deficit, or as a failure to meet the standards of the majority. The institutionalization of differences between individuals and between groups creates stereotypes which reduce the full humanity of the individual to a few selected deviant traits. The stereotyping of minority individuals and groups often leads to severe social limitations and to considerable psychological disempowerment.