Editing Allyship (section)

== Background ==
While the noun "allyship" has appeared in English-language sources since the 1840s,<ref name="WBTW">{{cite web |title=Dictionary.com names word of the year for 2021: ‘Allyship’ |url=https://www.wbtw.com/news/national/dictionary-com-names-word-of-the-year-for-2021-allyship/ |website=WBTW |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=6 December 2021}}</ref> its present meaning has come into use since the 1970s. The term likely derives from the concept of a [[straight ally]] (also see [[gay straight alliance]]),{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} who were [[Heterosexuality|straight]] supporters of the [[LGBT rights movement]] and [[LGBT people]] at a time when there were legal and social barriers to LGBT persons' participation in society. Additional research, however, has attested to a similar usage as far back as 1943, when it was used in a [[racial justice]] context.<ref name="WBTW" /> It was first entered into the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] in March 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=New words list March 2021 |url=https://public.oed.com/updates/new-words-list-march-2021/ |website=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=University of Oxford |access-date=9 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Academic supporters of the term have theorized the "[[Praxis (process)|praxis]]" of allyship by distinct groups of privileged individuals; many scholars have proposed specific forms of praxis among librarians,<ref name="Becker" /> museum educators,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ng|first1=Wendy|last2=Ware|first2=Syrus Marcus|last3=Greenberg|first3=Alyssa|date=2017-04-03|title=Activating Diversity and Inclusion: A Blueprint for Museum Educators as Allies and Change Makers|journal=Journal of Museum Education|language=en|volume=42|issue=2|pages=142–154|doi=10.1080/10598650.2017.1306664|issn=1059-8650|doi-access=free}}</ref> social justice workers, social media users,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Clark|first=Meredith D.|date=2019-09-03|title=White folks' work: digital allyship praxis in the #BlackLivesMatter movement|journal=Social Movement Studies|language=en|volume=18|issue=5|pages=519–534|doi=10.1080/14742837.2019.1603104|issn=1474-2837|doi-access=free}}</ref> university faculty, and other professionals. The concept of praxis itself is controversial, especially due to its association with the work of [[Karl Marx]] and [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] (see [[Praxis (process)|praxis]]); prominent critics of its use include cultural critic and former academic [[James Lindsay (mathematician)|James Lindsay]], who likens its prominence in [[social justice]] activism to a "religious duty".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lindsay |first1=James |title=Critical Race Praxis and the Weakness of Liberals |url=https://newdiscourses.com/2021/07/critical-race-praxis-and-the-weakness-of-liberals/ |website=New Discourses |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=12 July 2021}}</ref>