Stand...in the place where you live

 Why does the gnome distrust the half-orc? Because orcs regularly raided her village as a child. Why does the cleric shun the priests of the official state-sponsored faith? Those very same priests are responsible for kidnapping the cleric when she was but a girl. Standpoint theory asserts that our perspective on the world arises from our unique social locations. Those locations include our demographics, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation and all the other aspects of our identity. We are each shaped by those locations and experiences to produce an outlook on the world unique to each of us. Those outlooks, in turn, shape our communication with others. 

Imagine a typical feudal fantasy world. In such a world, the common serf likely knows more about the state of the area’s farmland, the impact of recent tax hikes, and the rumors circulating about a local noble than the king does. The king’s perspective (his standpoint) is equally influenced by his history and experiences, but is likely less objective than knowledge rooted in commoners’ experiences. According to standpoint theory, the marginalized have valuable insights into society. Of primary importance for feminist standpoint theoriests is the social location women occupy. Social location and standpoint are not the same; your standpoint comes from critical reflection on the power dynamics of the social location(s) you occupy.

In your tabletop roleplaying game, standpoint theory means that inquiries into your world’s mysteries should begin firstly with the marginalized, oppressed, and powerless. What we know is dependent on what we’ve been allowed to know by those in charge (see agenda-setting theory). Supported by Marxist ideology, the people most ideal to know about the worst issues which plague society are the poor and down-trodden. Their social location as members of dominant groups (i.e., men, heterosexuals, white, wealthy), limits their ability to acurately understand the world. 

As I write this, it’s Christmas-time and I keep thinking of good ole Ebeneezer Scrooge. He’s a wonderful example of standpoint theory. He occupies a privileged position at the start of his tale and only adopts a critical standpoint after glimpsing the impact his actions have on the marginalized around him: Mrs. Cratchit, the washer-women who steal his clothes, Tiny Tim. If Scrooge occupies a privileged position of advantage, that must mean that others occupy a social location of under-privilege and disadvantage. 

And while the gender difference in privilege is salient, not all women are marginalized equally. The intersection of categories of marginalization compounds dominant culture’s disregard for some individuals.  Taken from our example earlier, perhaps the gnome (whose village suffered the most from those orc raids) is not only female, but also poor and disabled. The intersection of marginalized positions fosters social positions that are more less valued in a given social stratification system. 

Are the orcs evil? According to the Monster Manual, yes. They’re chaotic evil.  However, let’s pause for a second and consider what one of my favorite proto-feminists, Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, would say. When responding to the depicted ferociousness and violence of a lion, she asked “Who painted the lion?” (or, if you want to be pedantic, she asked “Who peyntede the leoun, tel me who?”). Standpoint theory makes it clear that the lion (and the orcs) got painted by the dominant culture. 

The individuals at the higher points of the social stratification get to define, describe, paint, and project images of all those below them. The marginalized come to be known both by themselves and by others as they have been represented by the dominant culture. Those definitions serve the dominant culture, help them to shape the world in ways that conform to their perspective. For the standpoint theorist, no perspective is neutral or bias-free. All knowledge is situational, limited, and partial.

As a dungeonmaster, this is one of the primary tools in the arsenal. Dungeomasters have the power to define groups, communities, entire races of folks for their players.  There’s a lot to be gained from “humanizing” otherwise marginalized or “evil” groups. It’s a very different story to tell about the raids on the gnome’s village if first we are introduced to a community of starving orcs, besieged by persistent food shortages and under threat of a malevolent red dragon who demands tribute. Painted thusly, the orcs seem a whole lot less evil, regardless what the Monster Manual says.

Why does standpoint theory claim that women (and poor disabled gnomes) have a less partial, less distorted, and more true perspective on the world? Julia Wood has a couple of ideas about that. Non-dominant group individuals have:

1. the motivation to understand the powerful

2. less reason to defend the status quo

Thankfully for this white guy, a feminist standpoint isn’t exclusively available to marginalized women (or gnomes). It’s also not sufficient to simply be a woman to have a feminist standpoint. Standpoints, as I stated earlier, develop as a critical reflection to the role of power in the world. It’s not a default perspective, but a cultivated one in opposition to unjust systems of oppression and marginalization.

Thus, in our game worlds just as in real life, we would do well to question the stories told by the dominant characters and organizations. In contrast to early formulations of standpoint theory, simply positioning the theory to critique male-female communication and power is a false dichotomy. Contrasting the male and female experience and then claiming to understand the world is too simple.

The perspective of minorities, the marginalized, and those who occupy intersectional identities which combine multiple marginalized communities can be extremely helpful in understanding our world better and more fully. None of us occupy a single position or a single identity. It’s far more common for us to understand ourselves as a combination of communities, allegiances, and constituent parts. I am a gnome, a wizard, a necromancer, a woman, and an adventurer. We all defy easy classification and our critique of the systems of power around us can help to develop critical standpoints. Remember ye: Who painted the orc?