ABSTRACT
Within liberation theory, monism is defined as “a political claim that one particular form of domination precipitates all really important oppressions” (King 1988: 51). Critical race theory, for example, points to the centrality of white racism – structurally based – in creating the disadvantaged position of blacks in America (Bonilla-Silva 1996; Feagin 2000). However, gender inequality theory posits that women’s debased economic position stems from the material benefits that men receive from their position in the gendered social order (Hartmann 1976; Lorber 2005). In contrast, Marxist scholars argue that class is the central explanatory variable of social life and other social divisions (like race or gender) are secondary or derivations of the way class is structured (Wright 1996).
