Abstract

The purpose of this work was to investigate the social ontology of oppression, in general, and, specifically, to explore the implications of a materialist approach to class, race, and gender oppression. The predominant liberal social ontology of John Rawls was compared to that of oppression, and it was shown that a commitment to this Rawlsian dominant ideology renders the existence of oppression incapable of being ontologically recognized. Marx's critique of capitalism was surveyed, and it was shown that this critique, owing to its relevant ontological commitments, casts capitalism as oppressive. This materialist model of oppression was then brought to bear on the related topics of racism and race, and a non-reductionist, non-eliminativist position concerning these topics was defended. Lastly, this non-reductionist sentiment was then directed toward sexist oppression. A plausible model of a non-economic mode of production distinct from, yet similar in its oppressive function to the capitalist mode of production was established.