Exceptionalism

Exceptionalism is a condition sometimes accorded to women within a sexist society, and a theme often related to female characters within a sexist context. It also applies to other forms of oppression, such as racism and classism, and is considered here in a political context.

It typically goes along with statements like:

• "You're not like other girls."
• "That's pretty good for a woman."
• "Rising above one's class."
• "Of course, I'm not talking about you."

This is phenomenon is linked to tokenism, but whereas tokenism relates to the inclusion of an individual inside a group that normally excludes other individuals of the same class, exceptionalism relates to the justification for this individual's unique status.

Thanks to exceptionalism, a woman may be important if she is exceptional, that is, if she stands out in relation to other women, and not in relation to people in general.

Exceptionalism raises the individual above her sex/race/economic class without upsetting the position of her class as a whole.

It's a variation on the "divide and conquer" theme, and its mirror image is scapegoating.

The opposite of exceptionalism is exemplification, whereby the individual exemplifies or demonstrates the qualities of its class.