Classify and Label

The Unintended Marginalization of Social Groups

By: Matt L. Drabek

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eText | 15 October 2014 | Edition Number 1

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Classify and Label: The Unintended Marginalization of Social Groups is a philosophical treatment of classification in the social sciences and everyday life, focusing on moral, social, and political implications. The use of labels is essential to how people navigate and understand the world. Classifications and labels also have a dark side, as they may unintentionally misrepresent groups and individuals. These misrepresentations disrupt how people think about themselves and how they treat others, sometimes leading to marginalization.

Matt L. Drabek analyzes classification by considering rich case studies across a variety of domains, including the classification of gender and sexual orientation, the psychiatric classification of sadomasochism and gender disorders, and the classification of people in everyday life through the production of pornography and use of gender identities. This broad sample reveals deep connections between the classifications proposed by social scientists and the classifications used by society at large. Drabek explores how classifications evolve from and eventually affect such seemingly disconnected issues as the situation of under-represented groups in academia, new models of parenting and the family, the nature of sexual orientation, and the nature of scientific bias.

Industry Reviews

I find especially interesting Drabek's emphasis on characterizing 'feedback bias' as a form of structural bias, as opposed to the much studied cognitive bias. . . .The brief discussion on the endogenous/exogenous distress question seems to me one of the book's highlights. . . .Drabek's book contributes to the existing literature by providing a detailed catalogue of cases relevant to marginalization. . . .Overall, this book will serve as a useful resource for readers interested in the topic of how language and classification can harm. By providing a detailed catalogue of cases of marginalization through labeling, it raises many interesting questions that will certainly become fruitful avenues of further research.