Intersectionality

Question 1

What are the advantages of the concept of ‘intersectionality’? (5)

Answer 1

• Useful concept - “In conceiving of privilege and oppression as complex, multi-valent, and simultaneous, intersectionality could offer a more robust conception of both identity and oppression.”
• Practical applications - Crenshaw (1989) argues that the anti-discrimination laws do not work with multi-marginalised individuals, for example you can only claim race-based or gender-based injuries, not for example black women’s injuries as black women injuries.
• Not cumulative but multiplicative - Crenshaw argues that by simply inserting this option into the existing regime it will not remedy their double marginalisation, because the intersectional experience is greater than the sum of both gender and race.
• Gives a voice - Intersectionality demonstrates the importance of “‘speak[ing] against internal exclusions and marginalizations’ to challenge institutions and radical political projects to hear the voices that have been silenced”
• Recognises differences are reinforced by intersectional categories which have typically been ignored.

Question 2

What are the disadvantages of the concept of ‘intersectionality’? (8)

Answer 2

• Crenshaw pays little attention to identity beyond simply race and gender, ignoring other factors such as class or nationality, which may add to this idea of multiple burdens, and she uses black women as the a way of demonstrating race-and-gender and rendering their experiences to demonstrate to group race and gender.
• Crenshaw does not explain race and gender as social processes and their varying historical moments and how they affect particular people more than others. - The same argument and same position of all black women, over all periods of time, however this is not correct as experiences vary over time and spatially
• McCall (2005) argues that the intersectional nature of identity makes it hard to find a methodology that is adequately attentive. Difficulty in crafting a methodology that suits the complexity of multiple intersectional identities.
• There are disputes about whether identities that are even slightly privileged should be examined within the intersectionality theory. It is argued that in every identity there is some kind of multiple vectors of power. For example Peter Kwan (1996) refers to straight white men still being pushed to the margins by assumptions of patriarchal normativity and racial normativity.
• This theory simply looks at the disadvantage of black women, and ignores the other factors that might privilege black women such as autonomy and freedom. It also “ignores the ways in which subjects might be both victimized by patriarchy and privileged by race (it also ignores the ways in which subjects might take pleasure in some of the trappings of patriarchal power) in particular social, cultural, historical, and political moments” (p.12)
• Recycles black feminist ideas and there is little distinction between these two theories
• Difficulty in defining intersectionality: is it about how all our identities interact (e.g. straight, white, middle class, man), or does it only apply to marginalised populations (e.g. homosexual, black, lower class, women)? How far can the theory go and how far wide can it be applied?
• it’s a complex topic, and less understandable and engaging topic. Makes it hard for non-academic, lay persons to understand the topic

Question 3

What is ‘intersectionality’? Who coined this idea?

Answer 3

• Intersectionality is the concept that identity is constituted by mutually reinforcing vectors of race, gender, class and sexuality
• All parts of our identity should be studied together, not separately and added together, but interacting. It is intersectional.
• Intersectionality breaks down the idea of race and gender as two separate identities, but merges them together as one identity that can be theorised. It also collaborates what is usually separated out and distinguished into separate categories (e.g. ‘black’ ‘women’) to being a part of both. “Ultimately, intersectionality seeks to demonstrate the racial variation(s) within gender and the gendered variation(s) within race through its attention to subjects whose identities context race-or-gender categorisation” This approach also aims to give a voice to those who are normally ignored and marginalised.
• Intersectionality was coined by Crenshaw (1989), and it is created to be able to look at individuals who have a multi-dimensional marginalisation, particularly race and gender.
.

Question 4

Where/what conditions did intersectionality theory come from?

Answer 4

• Came from black feminist studies. Looks at the multiple dimensions of identity that interact, such as black, female - Came from lack of opportunities for black women, black men were able to get employment, women were able to get employment, but black women did not get these opportunities. But because women and black men were able to receive these resources, the case was dismissed
• This approach arose out of women studies and the late 1980s critical race studies, rejecting the ‘single-axis framework’ approach, and embracing both together

Question 5

What are the 3 distinct methodologies for researching intersectionality according to McCall (2005)?

Answer 5

1. Anticategorical complexity
2. Intracategorical complexity
3. Intercategorical complexity

Question 6

What is ‘anti-categorical complexity’?

Answer 6

• Basically, against categorises as they are too simplistic to capture the complexity of lived experiences, therefore we need to study the processes of categorisation, why we need to categorise, why things have been categorised in certain ways, etc.
• This approach believes these categories should not be simply separated - the separation of categorisation should be drawn attention too, as well as the study of exclusion and hierarchy because this in turn further marks boundaries and maintains the existence of these boundaries.

Question 7

What is ‘Intracategorical complexity’?

Answer 7

• Take marginalised intersectional identities as the analytical starting point to explain the marginalised identity e.g. study black women to understand black women.
• This approach starts by taking marginalised intersectional identities and using their lived experiences to understand the complexity of these groups.
• This approach attends to the dangers of categorisation, but do not reject categorisation all together. This approach reviews how categorisation can act to exclude people.
• This approach also uses the experiences of marginalised subjects as a way of demonstrating the inadequacy of categorises

Question 8

What is intercategorical complexity?

Answer 8

• Use categorisation to compare and contrast with other categorisation to show links, discrimination, etc.
• This methodological approach seeks to expose the inequality and the categories themselves.
• This approach temporarily adopts the analytical categorisation in order to record the inequality between these social categories. There must be the observation of the inequality between social groups and make this the object of study.

Question 9

How does Adrien Wing (1990) study intersectionality? And give two criticisms?

Answer 9

• used literary devices to explore black women’s experiences. She used poems to talk about identity as not the sum of different parts but multiplicative. She also uses poetry to exemplify the relationship between black women and creativity, and reinforce the fact black women are not ‘burderned’ and discriminated against and go through only pain, but they are also strong and joyful and loving, etc.
• However, the use of poetry and narratives highlights shortcomings in intersectional theory, showing how there has been an inability to construct a methodology that provides a mechanism for examining, articulating and aggregating the multiple levels of consciousness that form the basis of the study of identity.
• Also the poetic use perhaps suggests there is something romanticized or idyllic about the position of the socially subordinated

Question 10

Why can we say intersectionality has a focus on subjective self-categorisation?

Answer 10

• Intersectionality looks at the individual subjective categorisation and self-identification, not what the police or CJS categorise the individual as – Focus on subjective self-categorisation

Question 11

Is intersectionality new to study?

Answer 11

• It’s not a new point of study, it has been done and can be done, usually through qualitative interviews or focus groups

Question 12

What has Coslett and Baxter wrote about intersectionality?

Answer 12

• feminism is so fragmented, particularly by feminists that have an academic background, and those that don’t.
• These authors celebrate the popularisation of Caitlin Moran’s book becoming a best-selling ‘easy to read’ feminist book as it removes the academic jargon and makes it approachable and understandable to everyone who reads it.
• They argue that feminism has been too long a white, middle class movement.
• They also proposition that we must look beyond just gender inequality, but look at the whole picture, why should we be only concerned with women being disadvantaged and no other disadvantaged groups, need to adopt an intersectional approach
• , they strongly assert that those who are the intersectional disadvantaged, will not identify with the well-educated, well-spoken lecturer talking to them about it, therefore it must be accessible and non-academic.
• Feminism needs more voices, and to look at the real experiences of those who are usually silenced
• They argue that it can seem like middle class “educated women was to keep feminism for themselves, cloak it in esoteric theory and hide it under their mattresses, safe and warm beneath the duck down duvet”.
• They argue that intersectionality is impossible unless it can be communicated clearly with everyone.

Question 13

What did Filar say about intersectionality?

Answer 13

• Argues that you do not need to have an academic achievement in Women studies to be a feminist, but you need an open mind and a willingness to learn.
• Filar argues against Coslett and Baxter as they dismiss key ideas such as intersectionality and they have done a lack of research into the topic which they wrote about.
• Filar says that there needs to be more information about feminism and intersectionality being taught in schools and in the media
  Filar says the white middle class feminism movement of academics is to do with the inaccessibility of further education

Question 14

What did Robertson say about intersectionality?

Answer 14

• Intersectionality has been controversial and described as meaningless, too radical and a threat to sisterhood
• Robertson argues that the feminist movement becomes a movement of the relatively privileged if it does not consider intersectionality and how some individuals can be doubly disadvantaged. Without this consideration, these individuals will continue to be alienated and silenced.
• Robertson also argues that the arguments against intersectionality within academia is simply academics at the top being shown up and not willing to even consider other non-academic views.
• If feminism is too inaccessible and academic then it in turn puts people off and makes it less likely to be accessed by the disadvantaged people it talks about