Unveiling Classism: The Potential of Experiential-Based Reflection in Transforming Perceptions

Classism remains an understudied and often underquestioned form of discrimination. Comprehending the way in which classism is perceived, lived, and challenged is an important step towards transforming this social reality. To analyze how individuals conceptualize classism and how awareness of classism can be increased, we carried out a labin- the-field experiment in Colombia. Drawing on literature that highlights the potential of education, narratives, and the arts to challenge discriminatory biases, we designed two interventions and tested their effects on perceptions around classism. The first intervention fostered out-ward looking reflections on classism through the narratives of characters depicted in a unique documentary about social class. We designed a second intervention to stimulate inward looking reflections by guiding participants through an immersive experience using artistic tools—such as visual arts, storytelling and movement. Our findings show that, despite their brevity, both interventions effectively increased awareness of classism. We measured awareness as an individually-relevant issue and as a socially-relevant issue, and found statistically significant effects in both cases. These results contribute to the literature on social perceptions of discrimination, classism, and awareness-building, and provide evidence of the potential of reflective tools using narrative and the arts to foster social change.