2Be liberated from relationships of domination to trigger the powers to act
"Populations in situations of vulnerabilities are restricted in the exercise of their powers to act due to relationships of domination that prevent them being emancipated"
Our starting point
- Situations of vulnerability and poverty are linked to structural rather than individual causes. These situations are always linked to a "system" that is based on relationships of domination.
- Situations of vulnerability are often intertwined, exposing people to different degrees and types of domination and discrimination.
- Domination can describe social relationships between individuals, social classes, or groups of individuals. As social relationships are constantly changing, domination is not a static state based on the dominant-dominated pattern. You can be in a dominant or dominated position, depending on the type of interaction and its context.
- In order to be emancipated and to not reproduce relationships of domination, populations in situations of vulnerabilities must be able to analyse their context.
- Anyone can consciously or unconsciously reproduce relationships of domination, even in initiatives of support, aimed at reducing inequality. Our organisations pay close attention to this risk, particularly when considering dynamics of support.
What we have learned
Impact studies of projects conducted by members of the Train to Transform collective were carried out in 2022. The cross-functional analysis of these studies highlighted lessons learned by the organizations regarding the concrete application of the six priorities for social transformation. Here is what we learned for priority 2 :
- Working on relationships of domination is not neutral : it can be a violent process, both for the people who escape the relationships, and for their families and friends. As people grow and acquire new awareness, the way they relate to others changes, calling into question the (sometimes very unequal) pre-existing balance, i.e. the way the relationship began.
What remains to be verified
- In order to trigger the power to act, an awareness of the relationships of domination is necessary at every level : both for the groups that are subject to them and for those who can potentially exercise them.
An example of activities/actions : UGPM in Senegal !
"Since September 2018, UGPM in Senegal created a training programme meant for farmers’ groups, which allows members to question existing relationships of domination within it. The assumption was that demonstrations of domination between men and women, youth and older people, and elected representatives and members are factors that block the dynamic of the groups, as well as the development of social transformation actions for the villages."
