Muted Group Theory (MGT) is a communication theory developed by cultural anthropologist Edwin Ardener and feminist scholar Shirley Ardener in 1975, that exposes the sociolinguistic power imbalances that can suppress social groups' voices. Mutedness refers to inequitable barriers that disallow a social group from expressing themselves. The theory details the interlinked relationship between a dominant group and subordinate group(s) through two pathways:
The dominant group constructs the language system that is imbued with social norms and vocabulary Subordinate group(s) assimilate by learning the dominant language to communicate Subordinate groups may not be able to articulate their thoughts clearly to the dominant group, further complicating the translation process and resulting in misinterpretation. Muted group theory also applies to marginalized groups whose voices may be disregarded by the dominant group. Essentially speaking, language in its derivatives and usage pertain only to a single-axis representation, and inherent understanding, of what is a multi-axis reality. Muted group theory relies on the theoretical framework built by Edwin Ardener and feminist scholars as well as key concepts including mutedness and the muting process that marginalized groups face. Muted group theory is extended into real-world applications including mass media, social rituals, the workplace, politics, education, theology and is critiqued by other theorists that evaluate the differentiation in communication styles between dominant and subordinate groups.
Overview
History In 1968, Edwin Ardener pointed out a phenomenon where anthropologists had difficulties reproducing models of the society from women's perspectives, if they (the models) do not conform to those generated by men. In 1971, Shirley Ardener cited instances from feminism movements to articulate how women as a muted group used body symbolism to justify their actions and arguments in her article "Sexual Insult and Female Militancy". In 1975, Shirley Ardener reprinted Edwin's paper "The Interpretation of Ritual,1972" and included her sexual insult text in the book "Perceiving Women", for which she wrote an intro.
Origin
British anthropologist, Edwin Ardener, fleshed out muted group theory in the field of cultural anthropology. The first formulation of MGT emerges from one of Edwin Ardener's short essays, entitled "Belief and the Problem of Women." In social anthropology, the problem of women is divided in two parts: technical and analytical. The technical problem is that although half of the population is female, ethnographers have neglected them in social anthropological studies. Ardener added that women were reportedly more difficult to access and interview, especially due to factors including "they giggle when young, snort when old, reject the question and the like." Ardener wrote that "those trained in ethnography evidently have a bias towards the kinds of models that men are ready to provide (or to concur in) rather than towards any that women might provide." Ardener argued that men produce and control symbolic production in society. The technicality interlinks with the analytical aspect of the problem of women through the question: "[…] if the models of society made by most ethnographers tend to be models derived from the male portion of that society, how does the symbolic weight of the other mass of persons express itself?" After conducting an experiment with the information in his essay, the results indicated that the male point of view dominates society. The graph shows that the standard solid line reflects men's dominance. In contrast, women's perspectives is considered insignificant, falling into the muted category with the graph's broken line. According to Ardener, because male-based understandings of society represent the dominant worldview, certain groups are silenced or muted. He wrote: "In these terms if the male perception yields a dominant structure, the female one is a muted structure." As part of the critical approach to the world, Ardener uses MGT to explore the power and societal structure in relation to the dynamism between dominant and subordinated groups. Moreover, Ardener's concept of muted groups does not only apply to women but can also be applied to marginalized groups within social structures.
Expansion – muted group theory through the feminist lens Feminist scholars Cheris Kramarae, Barrie Thorne and Nancy Henley explored sociolinguistics that "defines, deprecates, and ignores women." They limited their research especially in the gender culture, whereas the Ardeners were applying MGT across different cultures. The scholars discovered that "male dominance affects more than just the way sexes speak but the content and structure of the English language. Women are often defined by their relation to men (“Miss/Mrs.” or “Harold's Widow”) while men have more autonomous varied linguistic status." Kramarae attributed the series of phenomena to the "man-made language" conception and stated that women would be identified as a muted group. Inspired from Kramarae's pieces, scholars Anita Taylor and M.J. Hardman observed that the dominant language appears to dismiss concepts and values that are significant to women but not to men. Women and men that are of the same social rank are usually addressed by asymmetrical usages of first and last name (women are usually called by first name while men are by the last name); or associations of certain words with women are formed to maintain the social stereotype (sewing, cooking, house chores, etc.).
In modern society, communication in virtual communities have contributed to the formation of relationships. "Before a woman can write exactly as she wishes to write, she has many difficulties to face. To begin with, there is a technical difficulty- so simple, apparently, in reality, so baffling,- that the very form of the sentence does not fit her. It is a sentence made by men," said Virginia Woolf.
Key concepts
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