Authority
As might be expected from the Glossary entries, the subject of authority is never discussed explicitly. It is raised implicitly, but only for the purpose of challenging it:

Who determines which definition of family is “correct” or “accepted”?¹
Who is the ‘boss’ in your home?²
Who decides?³
What is right? Who is right? Who decides?”⁴

Power and Authority
The combined topic, “power and authority,” reflects the Glossary entry “power (authority).” It is suggested for Grade 11-12 English classes in relation to gender roles (‘taming’, limiting and abusing women),⁵ loss of a sense of right and wrong,⁶ fear, irrationality and mob violence⁷ and abuse of power:⁸ hardly auspicious associations.

Power
There is a single reference to “sexual power,” but this appears within the context of an attempt to portray The Lady of Shalott as a lesbian allegory.⁹ The reference is as inscrutable as the portrayal.¹⁰ The “power of the state” is proposed (at least plausibly) as a discussion topic for another poem.¹¹

The central position Making Space, Giving Voice assigns to the concept of power is indicated by the suggestion that Grade 8 to 10 Social Studies students should ask, “Who holds the power? Who is powerless?” when considering “the current situation in society.”¹² Teachers are encouraged to “empower students who feel marginalized,”¹³ advice that suggests that power is the most suitable antidote for the condition.

In sum, Making Space, Giving Voice considers authority something to be challenged. When combined with power it is associated with injustice, irrationality and violence. Power and powerlessness are viewed as central social concepts, power being something that should be imparted to the marginalized, who are, presumably, among those lacking it. But explicit and implicit references to power are substantially outnumbered by references to oppression.

Oppression
‘Oppression’ is formally defined in the Glossary as a concept referring “ to the injustices some individuals or groups suffer or are disadvantaged [sic] as a consequence of intentional or unintentional practices within a society.” Examples include “exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, violence”¹⁴ and “discrimination”¹⁵ It is elsewhere defined as a systemic abuse of power, “perpetuated by people in authority, often to protect institutionalized power and privilege.”¹⁶

Making Space, Giving Voice holds that oppression is distinguished from bullying because it is systemic, while bullying is incidental and occurs among peers.¹⁷ Some kinds of oppression are said to be “based on differences that are less visible,”¹⁸ while others are “taken-for-granted.”¹⁹ The authors warn that it is possible to “expose one form of oppression, while accepting /perpetuating other forms.”²⁰

They are also anxious to avoid the “hierarchy of oppression debate,” in which some kinds of oppression are identified as “more politically important than others.”²¹ The authors warn that this will come up when “students feel defensive . . . and seek to identify as victim or perpetrator.” From the example they provide, it seems they are worried that boys will challenge the feminist critique of “patriarchy” by reminding classmates that men (and boys) can also be “oppressed” in different ways.²²

Many activists discourage this kind of discussion because they are afraid that it “may create a competition between oppressed groups, with the most oppressed as the winners.”²³ In other words, when being identified as a victim is politically and legally advantageous,²⁴ everyone tries to portray himself or his group as a victim, and a bigger victim than any of the other victims.

The authors claim that such debates are ‘sterile’ and unresolvable.²⁵ What they fail to acknowledge is that this sterility may be evidence of a fundamental flaw in their social justice paradigm.

Despite the emphasis on oppression,²⁶ victimization,²⁷ disadvantage,²⁸ and marginalization, ²⁹ the authors caution that students should not be encouraged to think of themselves as “victims or perpetrators.”³⁰  Instead, they should be taught that almost everyone has a “social location” that makes them “privileged” in relation “to some oppressed group”³¹ so that they will “recognize situations where some are privileged and others disadvantaged.”³² Having convinced them that injustice, inequality and oppression are everywhere, the goal is to have them think about what might be done to change this.³³