The Theory Of Intersectionality

Intersectionality exposes how conventional approaches to inequality, including feminist, civil rights, and liberal rights models, tend to: mistakenly rely on single-axis modes of analysis and redress;

According to Kimberlé Crenshaw, the concept of intersectionality refers to the way multiple oppressions particularly among the women are expressed. Kimberlé Crenshaw uses a scenario of traffic flow to describe intersectionality. She argues that many times black women find themselves in an intersection as a result of race discrimination and sex discrimination (Kimberlé 139). They suffer in many ways that may not be placed easily in legal categories of sexism or racism. The injustices they experience are a combination of both sexism and racism and they are “invisible” in the legal framework. An example of such injustices is employment discrimination that these women experience because they are women and black at the same time. A company like

I am applying intersectionality and the sociological imagination to my intersecting identities: class, gender, and ethnicity. By employing intersectionality and the sociological imagination, I am analyzing how my positionality affected my personal experiences while connecting those events with society. I also included five peer-reviewed articles as supporting evidence.

Intersectionality is a framework that must be applied to all social justice work, a frame that recognizes the multiple aspects of identity that enrich our lives and experiences. This framework synthesizes and complicates oppressions and marginalization’s. In the article, “Why Intersectionality Can’t Wait” Kimberle Crenshaw talks about how the purpose of intersectionality has been lost. Intersectional somehow creates an environment of bullying and privilege checking. This society cannot afford to have movements that are not intersectional because all races need to be embraced and have equality.

It is mandatory to understand the history behind Intersectionality and it’s upbringing to understand how it ties into cultural identity. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s classic article “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color” helps to understand the struggle that women of color face with entwined differences that are not confronted and dealt with accordingly. Crenshaw mentions that, “The problem with identity politics is not that it fails to transcend difference, as some critics charge, but rather the opposite -- that is frequently conflates or ignores infra group differences. In the context of violence against women, this elision of difference is problematic, fundamentally because the violence that many women experience is

Intersectionality holds that the theories of oppression within society do not act independently of each other, but are interrelated. This creates a system of oppression that reflects the intersection of multiple forms of discrimination. An advantage would be recognizing that all people are at the center of multiple intersections of power, inequality and privilege. They are shaped by their class, race and gender. These categories represent our views of the world and our actions taken, and includes other peoples views of us. No one fits into just one category because we have multiple categories. Within our own identities, we form our opinions of what we constitute as legal or illegal, right or wrong, and necessary or unnecessary.

As many women struggled to retain their values and traditions, there were existing male dominated conceptions of race and white dominated conceptions of gender. Kimberle Crenshaw describes the concept of intersectionality where race and gender interact in various ways to shape multiple dimensions experiences for different groups

The American nation has long served as a battlefield for whites and their social norms versus African Americans and their native cultures. Although successful in previous years in acquiring basic civil rights, the early 20th century signified the African American downfall as their white foes discovered a new source of perilous power. From the early to mid-1900s, white backlash increased with the passing of legislature to segregate blacks, most prominently the Jim Crow Laws in the South. Throughout this period of black isolation, literature arose seeking to reveal African American oppression as well as to formulate an explanation for its deep roots in American society, especially works by

“Intersectionality” devised by Kimberley Crenshaw in her intuitive essay “de-marginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of anti-discrimination doctrine, a feminist theory and antiracist politics “ Intersectionality is thought to act as framework, which requires recognition that overlapping marginalised identities impact the way individuals experience oppression and thus must impact the way, advocates do work. Its more than comprehending multiple marginalized identities that people may face, and is viewed as a means of approaching the various layers of subordination experienced and endured by individuals and groups of women who are excluded from the idea of archetypal women the feminists imagined, these being;

Kimberlé Crenshaw is an esteemed civil rights advocate and law professor. Crenshaw introduced the concept of “intersectionality” to the acclaimed feminist theory close to 30 years ago in a paper written for the University of Chicago Legal Forum, describing the “intersectional experience” as something “greater than the sum of racism and sexism. (Crenshaw)” She wrote in terms of intersectional feminism, which examines the overlapping systems of oppression and discrimination that women face, based not just on gender but on ethnicity, sexuality, economic background and a number of other axes. She speaks on it in a sense that the term intersectionality provides us with a way to see issue that arise from discrimination or disempowerment often being more complicated for people who are subjected to multiple forms of exclusion because of the protected clauses they may possess. Crenshaw speaks on the “urgency of intersectionality” in her Ted talk. This as well as her spreading awareness for the #SayHerName campaign drives a tie between the necessity for intersectionality advocaism and the the occurrences of neglect and violence present in societal happenings today. The question that stands in the forefront of her work is how can we effectively apply an intersectional methodology to analysis of violence and other acts against people who are often being neglected of any sort of recognition in social issues today? Intersectionality is one of the better known concepts within the

What do these words mean? How do identity, intersectionality, and power relate to feminism? Are they important? Or are they just another set of words used to emphasize feminism? Identity.

black women could not relate to the white women that were speaking out about it

Since my early adolescence, I have been passionate about the philosophy and politics of gender, gender inequality, queer theory and feminism as both a movement and a field of study. I am particularly fascinated by the concept of intersectional feminism, since I believe that fighting a system of oppression such as the patriarchy only makes sense if it goes hand by hand with dismantling other such systems. These include heteronormativity, white supremacy, classism and cisnormativity.

The theory of intersectionality has received a widespread of various distinct definitions and usage; it is often unclear of its designed function may be. Intersectionality is defined as “the acknowledgment that different forms of identity-based discrimination can combine to give rise to unique brands of injustice”(Lucas 8). In other words, how the classification of one’s individuality such as gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and class can intertwine with each other among the social structure. The term was first coined by feminist and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw who spoke upon the discrimination and marginalization of black women and how both institutions interconnect with one another. The significance of

Feminism and Intersectionality are at the forefront of the 2016 election. While feminism is still viewed in somewhat limited terms of promoting the equality and status of women, Intersectionality is defined in much broader language, as the interconnection of race, gender, ability, and class in the social world. Moreover, all of these intersecting categories overlap and cannot be separated. Thus, the traditional view of feminism, that promotes the equality of women first and foremost, is often pitted against Intersectionality, that gives equal credence to other factors, such as race, economics, etc. These seemingly opposing views have never been more apparent than during the nomination for the 2016 Democratic candidate. The two nominees, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, epitomize the changing views on feminism and the advent of Intersectionality. More specifically, Secretary Clinton is collecting votes from the traditional feminists, while Senator Bernie Sanders is viewed as the one and only candidate who supports the interests of Intersectionality. This has demonstrated a tremendous schism in the feminist movement and even positioned Clinton supporters against Sander’s followers. Moreover, it has also caused women to question the legitimacy of each other’s views of feminism, with claims that Hilary is the only viable candidate for a true feminist. However, this limited perspective blindly assumes that women are going to vote based solely on the sex of the candidate,