Editing Allyship

'''"Allyship"''' is an English-language [[neologism]] used in contemporary [[social justice]] activism to describe efforts by groups of people, to advance the interests of marginalized groups, both in society at large, and within in particular social contexts, such as universities or workplaces.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Allyship: What It Means to Be an Ally|url=https://socialwork.tulane.edu/blog/allyship|access-date=2020-06-09|website=socialwork.tulane.edu|language=en-us}}</ref> The term and related behaviors are controversial, with critics alleging that it is an ideological, [[performative]], and insincere term that may ignore prior concepts of [[Toleration|tolerance]] and [[solidarity]].<ref name="Weitzner">{{cite web |last1=Weitzner |first1=David |title=Why ‘Allyship’ Is Not a Jewish Virtue |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/against-allyship |website=Tablet Magazine |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=4 November 2021}}</ref><ref name="Myers">{{cite web |title=The Problem with ‘Allyship’ |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/04/the-problem-with-allyship/ |website=National Review |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=27 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="Owens" /> 

The term entered widespread use during the 2010s and the [[presidency of Donald Trump]]. Its usage has grown especially common in political activism and [[diversity, equity, and inclusion|organizational rhetoric]] since the [[murder of George Floyd]] and the beginning of the international [[George Floyd protests]] in May 2020; in 2021, it was announced as [[Dictionary.com]]'s "Word of the Year."<ref>{{cite web |title=allyship {{!}} Word of the Day {{!}} December 7, 2021 |url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/allyship-2021-12-07/ |website=Dictionary.com |access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref>

Proponents of the concept say that allyship can be a response to most forms of discrimination, such as [[racism]], [[ableism]], [[xenophobia]], and [[sexism]] (see [[intersectionality]]). Outcomes of allyship that are considered desirable by its advocates include greater inclusion in the workplace and empowerment of outgroups.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Atcheson|first=Sheree|title=Allyship - The Key To Unlocking The Power Of Diversity|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/shereeatcheson/2018/11/30/allyship-the-key-to-unlocking-the-power-of-diversity/|access-date=2020-06-09|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> Some advocates of allyship may define it in roots of activism, such as changing to more inclusive use of language,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Catlin|first=Karen|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1237100180|title=Better Allies : Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces|date=2021|isbn=978-1-7327233-5-1|edition=|location=[United States of America]|pages=Chapter 8|oclc=1237100180}}</ref> removing bias from hiring and promotion processes,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Catlin|first=Karen|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1241255562|title=The Better Allies Approach to Hiring|date=2020|isbn=978-1-7327233-3-7|edition=|location=[United States of America]|oclc=1241255562}}</ref> and combating perceived forms prejudice against disadvantaged groups.<ref name="Becker">{{Cite journal|last=Becker|first=Jenifer|date=2017-01-02|title=Active Allyship|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15228959.2016.1261638|journal=Public Services Quarterly|language=en|volume=13|issue=1|pages=27–31|doi=10.1080/15228959.2016.1261638|s2cid=219728423|issn=1522-8959}}</ref> Other proponents of the term describe it as a "lifelong process" that cannot be limited to individual behaviors or patterns of behavior;<ref>{{cite web |last1=Forsey |first1=Caroline |title=What Does Allyship Mean? |url=https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/allyship |website=blog.hubspot.com |access-date=9 January 2022 |language=en-us}}</ref> Conversely, black workers have reported that performative and excessive demonstrations of allyship have negatively impacted their quality of life and comfort within their workplaces.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yuan |first1=Karen |title=Black employees say 'performative allyship' is an unchecked problem in the office |url=https://fortune.com/2020/06/19/performative-allyship-working-while-black-white-allies-corporate-diversity-racism/ |website=Fortune |access-date=9 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

== 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>

== Criticism ==
While the term allyship finds common usage in the language and rhetoric of some [[social justice]] activists, as well as [[diversity, equity, and inclusion]] initiatives, it has not found widespread acceptance or usage outside of parts of the [[English-speaking world]].{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} This lack of acceptance has resulted from the broader controversy surrounding the rhetoric and tactics of 21st-century [[social justice]] activism,<ref name="Myers" /> as well as more specifically, the unclear and artificially-constructed difference in meaning between allyship and the far more common term [[wikt:alliance|alliance]], which has clear [[cognates]] in other languages (e.g., the Spanish "[[wikt:allianza|''allianza'']]").

Like other prominent concepts in contemporary [[social justice]] movements, the concept of allyship and many associated behaviors have faced sustained opposition from most scholars and commentators holding [[conservative]] and [[classical liberal]] views. These opponents usually state that identity-based rhetoric is divisive and retributive, and without regard for individuals' character or the race-neutral notion of friendship.<ref name="Myers" /> Because of its emphasis on intersectionality, the concept of allyship has become associated with the controversy surrounding [[critical race theory]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Butcher |first1=Jonathan |title=Critical Race Theory, the New Intolerance, and Its Grip on America |url=https://www.heritage.org/civil-rights/report/critical-race-theory-the-new-intolerance-and-its-grip-america |website=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=9 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref> According to recent polls, U.S. public opinion towards [[critical race theory]] and associated [[social justice]] movements is largely negative and declining.<ref>{{cite web |title=Americans who have heard of critical race theory don’t like it |url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/06/17/americans-who-have-heard-of-critical-race-theory-dont-like-it |website=The Economist |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=17 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Support for Black Lives Matter movement is declining, according to new poll |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/support-black-lives-matter-movement-declining-according-new-poll-rcna5746 |website=NBC News |access-date=9 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Criticism of the term may also be found among supporters of the broader [[social justice]] and [[Black Lives Matter]] movements. Some critics say that the practices and behaviors associated with allyship do not reflect sincere intentions and serve primarily to validate their practitioners.<ref name="Owens">{{cite web |last1=Owens |first1=Ernest |title=Why I’m Giving Up on “Allies” |url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/06/23/allyship-vs-solidarity/ |website=Philadelphia Magazine |access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> Similarly, [[Emma Dabiri]] has said that "Allyship offers charity whereas coalition is more about solidarity," and that allyship's emphasis on the efforts of a privileged group to help disadvantaged groups reflects a "paternalistic attitude."<ref name="Haynes">{{cite web |last1=Haynes |first1=Suyin |title=Why Coalition, Not Allyship, Is the Necessary Next Step in the Racial Justice Movement |url=https://time.com/6074507/emma-dabiri-what-white-people-can-do-next/ |website=Time |access-date=9 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Other concerns have stemmed from the degree to which the rhetoric of allyship is perceived as "performative" or insincere.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Leary |first1=John Patrick |last6= |first7=D |title=The Performative Rhetoric of “Allyship” |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/162621/performative-rhetoric-allyship |website=The New Republic |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=18 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Avoiding Performative Allyship in the Workplace |url=https://kindredmembers.com/insights/performative-allyship-workplace/ |website=Kindred |access-date=9 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Smoot |first1=Kelsey |title=White people say they want to be an ally to black people. But are they ready for sacrifice? {{!}} Kelsey Smoot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/29/white-people-ally-black-people-sacrifice |website=The Guardian |access-date=9 January 2022 |language=en |date=29 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Unpacking the False Allyship of White Racial Justice Leaders |url=https://nonprofitquarterly.org/unpacking-the-false-allyship-of-white-racial-justice-leaders/ |website=Nonprofit Quarterly |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=14 December 2020}}</ref> 

Allyship that is "performative" can emerge in numerous ways. That being said, performative allyship is understood to derive from reward, typically in the form of social recognition. A performative ally expresses support for marginalized groups or individuals, however, the intention behind the support revolves works to uphold their own self image.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Redirecting...|url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/techssj11&i=521|access-date=2022-02-16|website=heinonline.org}}</ref> 

Some other critics, like David Weitzner, have also argued that the approach of allyship ignores the principles of organic and culturally-particular forms of cooperation and toleration, such as the Jewish concept of [[chavrusa]], a form of instruction that empowers student participation.<ref name="Weitzner" />

== See also ==
* [[Straight ally]]
* [[Anti-racism]]
* [[Anti-bias curriculum]]

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Allies (social justice)]]
[[Category:LGBT]]
[[Category:Anti-racism]]