The terms 'systemic injustice' and 'structural injustice' are often used interchangeably and are often equated with 'institutional injustice.' But in order to understand these different forms of injustice, we should have a clear idea of what they are and how to distinguish them. Using racism as a paradigm case, Sally Haslanger sketches an account of society as a complex system and shows how relations that make up the structures are constituted by social practices. This helps us locate some of the leverage points for social change.

Sally Haslanger is Ford Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies at MIT. She has published in metaphysics, theory of knowledge, feminist theory, and critical race theory. Her work links issues of social justice with contemporary work in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. Haslanger is deeply committed to promoting diversity in philosophy and beyond, and was the founder and convener of the Women in Philosophy Task Force. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015.