Non-Christian Privilege — Is It Real?

By George Yancey Published on September 26, 2016

Last week on this site I irritated both conservatives and progressives, arguing that privilege for certain groups is real — which irritated conservatives — but that the concept of privilege is often co-opted for use in situations where it doesn’t genuinely apply — which irritated progressives.

So let me double down on the idea of privilege in ways that provide further nuance to this concept. “Privilege” is real, but not just white privilege or Christian privilege; non-Christian privilege is real as well, in certain circumstances. In a post-Christian society we may find it becoming more real in more and more social contexts. The most prominent context where I personally know that non-Christian privilege is real is in academia.

Privilege in Academia

When I talk about privilege I am not talking about overt types of measurable discrimination. Thus my work showing that conservative Protestants face higher levels of discrimination, while important, is not relevant in discussions of privilege. What I am talking about, speaking specifically now of non-Christian privilege, is those unspoken ways in which non-Christians enjoy an advantage in academia. It is precisely because these advantages are unspoken that non-Christians will tend to ignore or dismiss the impact of such privilege. This is not unlike what happens when those who experience more traditional types of privileges (white, male, class etc.) deny the impact of those privileges.

It’s difficult to illustrate privilege, because it’s generally not directly measurable, even though it has a definite impact on the individuals’ experiences. In the past, researchers such as Wellesley’s Peggy McIntosh have used lists to do so. Indeed a colleague of mine has put together a list of secular privileges which is similar to the McIntosh list. However, my claim is a bit broader, in that I see non-Christian privileges attached to non-secular, non-Christian individuals as well — followers of other religions, that is. Rather than put together such a list (perhaps I will in the future) I’d rather talk about experiences of my own that reinforce my conviction that non-Christian privilege exists in academia.

Bias Regarding Bias

I remember when people questioned whether I could be free from bias when I was allowed to teach a course on sociology of religion. Their concern wasn’t based in anything I had done; I hadn’t even begun to teach the course. It was based on the fact that the faculty knew I was a Christian. Would they have asked someone about their bias if they were Muslim, Hindu, atheist or Jew? I have a hard time believing they would. In all my years of teaching, I have yet to hear any academic express concern about potential religious bias in anyone from a non-Christian religious group, at least not unless that person had done something to warrant such a concern.

When I invited a Christian race activist to speak to my Race and Ethnicity course, I felt pressure to invite a Baha’i activist as well, to provide balance. I have often seen other professors bring speakers from non-Christian faiths to talk to their classes, with no one expressing concern about balance. So why did I feel that pressure?

Research Rejected

Maybe I felt it because I was so aware of the higher standards my fellow academics typically apply to research that shines a positive light on Christians, or a negative light on those who do not like Christians, compared to comparable work relating to other faiths. Research has shown that academics are more likely to reject political conservatives and their work, all else being equal. But my own research indicates that conservative Christians are rejected at even higher levels than political conservatives. It would be naïve to doubt that there would also be higher barriers to work that supports Christians.

There is research showing that Christian students feel as though campuses are turning them a “cold shoulder.” Those feelings are validated by other work indicating that Christian students who exhibit socially conservative attitudes are more likely to be rejected for grad school in some fields. Yes, in academia there is a non-Christian privilege, and it has a real effect on the opportunities open to Christians.

Balancing the Scales on Privilege

I do not write this to make some exaggerated claim of Christian persecution or to dissuade Christians from going into academia. I’m trying to present a balanced perspective. If we as Christians recognize that in certain settings we suffer from a lack of privilege, it might be easier for us to recognize that in other settings we may benefit from privilege. Through this awareness we gain the right to ask others to give thought to the situations where they have privilege over us.

Privilege must be understood in the proper context. That is one of the reasons why I wanted to explore it further in this second op-ed. The more we understand it, the less likely we may be to use the concept of privilege to silence conversations.

 

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