Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Belgium
Regenmortel2002).ThisCpsychologyofpowerlessness)hasbeentherationalebe-
hindaparadigmofindividualempowermentutoimprovetheparticipationofpeo-
pleinpoverty”asthedominantapproachunderlyinganti-povertypolicy-making
(VanRegenmortel2002,75).Accordingtothisapproach,participationuisviewed
asaprocess:themechanismbywhichpeoplegainmasteryovertheirlives”(Van
Regenmortel2002,75).
Thatbeingthecase,Flemishsocialpolicyconcernedwithanti-povertypol-
icy-makingisformallypreoccupiedwithadiscourseaboutempoweringpeople
inpovertysothattheycanengageinself-advocacyanduserparticipationasthe
dominantwaytoimplementanti-povertystrategies(Dierckx2007).Alsoininter-
nationaldebates,proponentsofpsychosocialapproachesargueforapsychosocial
dimensioninwelfarepolitics(seeFroggett2002).InFlemishanti-povertypolicy
thispsychosocialdimensionisunderstoodasthestimulationofanindividualpro-
cessofpersonalgrowthandadaptationofpoorandsociallyexcludedpeople.This
is,forexample,significantlymanifestedinarecentNationalActionPlan:SocialIn-
clusion(PODMI2008-2010,4-5)oftheBelgianwelfarestate,whereinthefollow-
ingdefinitionhasbeenformallyadopted:
Socialexclusionreferstoaprocessthroughwhichpoorcitizensdonot(any
longer)managetofindconnectionwiththerestofsociety.Inoneormoreareas
oflife,alineofsocialfractureexistsbecausepoorpeopledonotachievethegen-
erallyacceptedstandardofliving.Povertyistheresultofthisprocess,asasystem
ofsocialexclusioninwhichcertainconditionsreinforceeachother,suchaspoor
education,employment,andincome;andpoorpeoplecannotbridgethisgapun-
dertheirownpower.
Althoughthisapproachcombinesaspectsofbothaculturalandamaterialist(or
economic)definitionofpoverty,itplacesthematerialredistributionofresources
andpowerindangerofbeingoverlooked(seeVeit-Wilson2000;Lister2004).The
elementofCagenerallyacceptedstandardofliving)referstothematerialdimen-
sion,buttheconceptualizationofpovertyasCagenerallyacceptedstandardofliving
thatpoorpeopledonotachieve)owingtoaCgapthatpoorpeoplecannotbridgeun-
dertheirownpower)addsaspecificpsychosocialdimensiontoanti-povertypoli-
cy-makingandpublicwelfare.Assuch,anti-povertypolicy-makingistranslatedas
anempowermentstrategytoinduceaprocessofpoorpeople)spersonalgrowthin
ordertoadapttothisgenerallyacceptedstandardoflivinginoursociety.
Weargue,however,thatthereisariskinvolvedinemphasizingthisspecif-
icpsychosocialdimension(Fraser1995).Inthisapproach,recognitioniseasily
framedasamatterofself-realization:ratherthanbeingtreatedasanissueofso-
cialjustice,thepovertyproblemisconceivedasaresultofamisrecognitionof
poorpeople)sperspectives.Thisapproach,however,beinguidentifiedwithinter-
naldistortionsinthestructureofself-consciousnessoftheoppressed,[ł]isbut
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