Phonetic Pronunciation: per-FOR-muh-tiv Al-eye-ship

Definition:

Being outwardly supportive or outspoken about a social issue without meaningfully contributing to resolving it, especially for outside recognition.

History:

The concept of being performative in speech was coined by language philosopher J.L Austin (1) in his 1955 lectures, later turned into the book How To Do Things With Words, where he describes so-called "illocutionary acts" where actions are performed using words, such as when someone says "I do" at a wedding to finalize a marriage (2). This idea was then more broadly applied beyond linguistics and into sociology in 1956 (1). A term that is similar to performative allyship, slacktivism, was first introduced in 1995 and descirbed actions that support a cause with minimal commitment. (3). The exact term "performative allyship" entered prominent use in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. A popular Medium article by Holiday Phillips titled Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead) criticized social media activism and was a notable discussion of the term. (4)

Current Usage:

While ableism was a term first introduced in feminist circles, ableism is now a widely used term throughout the disabled and neurodivergent communities, and has become increasingly mainstream since 2010.

Examples:

Situational example: People expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but not taking action to support black business and organizations.

Sentence example: The organization was accused of performative allyship after changing its logo during Pride Month.

Perspective:

1. A paper by psychologists Maja Kutlaca and Helena R. M. Radke published in Social and Personality Psychology Compass argues that performative allyship differs from virtue signalling and slacktivism in that it implies a relationship between a privileged group participating in actions to 'help' an underprivleged one (5), as opposed to merely being a form of low-effort social activism.

2. Some people argue that widespread performative acts can still reflect an important increase in awareness of social issues. Yale professor Harry Thomas commented on the "blackout" movement of 2020, where people changed their profile pictures to black in support of BLM by saying “Everyone had a black square... Two years ago, that would not have happened in the suburbs." (7)

Did You Know?

Target initially began DEI programs in the wake of Geoge Floyd's death, but rolled it back as DEI programs came under attack in 2025. (6)

Sources:

(1)Examining The Motives Behind Performative Allyship 

(2) How to do things with Words 

(3) Slacker activists as the rise of the online disengaged do-gooder

(4) Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead) 

(5) https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12724 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/24/target-rolls-back-major-dei-initiatives.html 

(6) https://yaledailynews.com/articles/the-blurred-lines-between-genuine-allyship-and-performative-activism

Resources:

https://www.canadaconfesses.ca/resources/activism%2C-advocacy-%26-allyship https://rizing-tide.com/identifying-and-dismantling-performative-allyship/

Phonetic Pronunciation: priv-uh-lij

Definition:

Privilege is an unearned advantage relative to, and perhaps at the expense of, others (4). From a social justice perspective, it refers to the social benefits, opportunities, and respect individuals receive because of the groups they belong to, such as race, gender, religion, income level, ability, sexuality, age, or education (2)(3).

History:

Privilege was historically used in Europe as a legal designation (5), deriving from Old French privilege meaning “right,” “priority,” “special advantage,” and from the Latin privilegium, referring to a law applied to a specific individual, either in their favour or against them (8). As social and religious hierarchies became more entrenched, privilege increasingly came to describe the exclusive advantages associated with certain groups and positions within society. Over time, this understanding expanded beyond legal status to encompass broader systems of social power and inequality.

Current Usage:

In contemporary usage across academic and social justice contexts, privilege refers to the unearned advantages individuals or groups may experience due to their social position, often in relation to race, gender, or socioeconomic status (1). The term is commonly used in activism and critical scholarship to highlight how everyday advantages and disadvantages are shaped by systemic inequalities, including those that may go unrecognized in daily life (11). More broadly, its modern usage emphasizes identifying and challenging the structures and power dynamics that produce unequal outcomes in society (1).

Examples:

Situational: A queer woman of colour can still have the privilege of being financially well-off, living in a liberal and tolerant city, and having access to healthcare (7)

Sentence: “some of us have never had the privilege of having enough food to eat to keep our bodies healthy.” (10)

Perspective:

1. Privilege exists in many areas of life, whether it is recognized or not, and is not limited to white people, men, or those who are wealthy. Individuals who experience disadvantage or oppression in one aspect of their identity may still benefit from advantages in others. For example, privileges can include having supportive parents, financial stability, physical mobility, access to education, or the ability to move through daily life with a sense of safety and security (11).

2. The term privilege can be perceived as accusatory, implying that someone’s life has been easier or that they have not worked hard for their achievements. However, privilege does not negate individual effort or accomplishments. Rather, it refers to the absence of certain barriers or disadvantages that others may face due to factors such as their identity, background, history, or culture (11). Understanding privilege paves the way for empathy and helps to build a more inclusive culture.

Did you know?

The conceptual foundation of privilege was first described by thinker W.E.B. Du Bois back in 1935 in the context of class and racism in America. He noticed that white people often got "unearned" bonuses, like better schools and more respect from the police, just because of their race. This discovery is a big reason why we now understand privilege as a hidden head start that some people get in life (4, 9).

Sources:

(1) https://newdiscourses.com/tftw-privilege/

(2) https://guides.rider.edu/privilege#:~:text=Privilege%20is%20the%20benefits%20and,don't%20often%20think%20about

(3) https://unitedwaysem.org/equity-challenge-days/day-3-what-is-privilege/

(4) https://reagle.org/joseph/pelican/2015/privilege-history.html

(5) https://amyjuliabecker.com/what-privilege-is/

(6) https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15210/15210-h/15210-h.htm#Chapter_II

(7) https://medium.com/live-your-life-on-purpose/what-privilege-actually-means-5ff309460e39

(8) https://www.etymonline.com/word/privilege

(9) https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-origins-of-privilege

(10) https://roxannemanning.com/about-privilege/

(11) https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeseq/2021/03/29/privilege-is-not-a-dirty-word/