The process of treating a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral. It involves pushing someone or something to the edges of society, reducing their power, influence, or importance.
From 'margin' (edge, border) + the suffix -ization (process of making). The metaphor comes from writing margins - the empty space at the edges of a page where important text doesn't go. Sociologically, it describes pushing people to the 'margins' of society.
Imagine a page of text - the important stuff is in the center, and the margins are the empty edges where nothing important goes. Marginalization is like pushing people to those empty edges of society. Think 'MARGIN-alization' - moving someone to the margins where they have less power and voice.
Women, ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ groups have been systematically marginalized in academia, science, and professional spaces. This exclusion has erased contributions and perpetuated underrepresentation in leadership and epistemology.
Use actively (marginalization happens to groups; recognize power structures) rather than passively (groups become marginalized). Center voices of marginalized communities in solutions.
Women scientists' research was historically attributed to male colleagues (e.g., Rosalind Franklin's DNA work); intentionally credit marginalized researchers' contributions.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.