Social Science - Sociology Discussion assignment
DUBSTER
FSUWDCBeyondtheBinary-Intersectionality.potxBeyond the Binary-Intersectionality
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Key terms
Intersectionality
Intersecting oppressions
Matrix of Domination
Construct of dichotomous oppositional difference
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Introduction
Intersectionality is the concept that all oppression is linked
Intersectionality is “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, sexual orientation regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage
Intersectionality is the acknowledgement that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression and we must consider everything and anything that can marginalize people
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What is intersectionality?
Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege
Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of advantage and disadvantage such as gender, caste, sex, race, class, sexuality, religion, disability, physical appearance and height
These intersecting oppressions and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing
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Origins of intersectionality
Legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw introduced the theory of in 1989
Paper "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics”
The main argument-the experience of being a black woman cannot be understood in terms of being black and of being a woman considered independently, but must include the interactions between the two, which frequently reinforce each other.
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Case-Degraffenreid v. General Motors
Emma Degraffenreid and four other African American women argued received “compound discrimination”
They contended that although women were eligible for office and secretarial jobs, only white women in these jobs
The courts dismissed the case, finding that the employment of African-American male factory workers disproved racial discrimination, and the employment of white female office workers disproved gender discrimination
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Origins of Intersectionality (continued)
Crenshaw's focus on intersectionality is on how the law responds to issues that include gender and race discrimination
The particular challenge in law is that antidiscrimination laws look at gender and race separately and consequently African-American women and other women of color experience overlapping forms of discrimination and the law, unaware of how to combine the two, leaves these women with no justice
Crenshaw realized the idea of racialized sexism and sexualized racism
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Origins of Intersectionality (continued)
Crenshaw’s early work centered on heterosexual immigrant women of color
Intersectional theory is now applied to understanding how we all carry multiple, albeit constructed and provisional, identities
The salience of such identities-based not only on race, normative gender, class, and nation but also on sexuality, nonnormative gender, physical (dis)ability, religion, and age-varies in different times and contexts, conferring either disadvantages or privileges on each of us, again in relation to time and context
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Crenshaw’s analysis Three forms
Structural, which addresses racism and patriarchy in association with violence against women
Political, which addresses the intersection of anti-race organizing and feminist organizing
Representational, which addresses the intersection of racial and gender stereotypes
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Criticism of Intersectionality
The framework's tendency to reduce individuals to specific demographic factors
Critics have characterized the framework as ambiguous and lacking defined goals
Critics say the focus on subjective experiences can lead to contradictions and the inability to identify common causes of oppression
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Matrix of Domination
Sociologist Patricia Hill Collins refers to the various intersections of social inequality as the matrix of domination
This terms refer to how differences among people (sexual orientation, class, race, age, etc.) serve as oppressive measures towards women and change the experience of living as a woman in society
Collins points towards this thinking as an influence on this oppression and as further intensifying these differences
Specifically, Collins refers to this as the construct of dichotomous oppositional difference. This construct is characterized by its focus on differences rather than similarities
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Intersectionality and Women’s Rights
Without an intersectional lens, our efforts to tackle inequalities and injustice towards women are likely to just end up perpetuating systems of inequalities
“Intersectionality is such a vital framework for understanding systems of power, because ‘woman’ is not a catchall category that alone defines all our relationships to power” (Zoe Samudzi)
A black woman may experience misogyny and racism, but she will experience misogyny differently from a white woman and racism differently from a black man
The work towards women’s rights must be intersectional-any feminism that purely represents the experiences of white, middle class, able-bodied, heterosexual etc. women will fail to achieve equality for all
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Intersectionality and Violence Against Women
To eliminate violence against all women and girls we have to address how violence differs between groups of women
44% of lesbian women experience intimate partner violence compared compared to 35% of heterosexual women
Women and girls with disabilities are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience domestic violence than women without disabilities
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Intersectionality in Practice
Intersectionality may seem theoretical
But it is meant to be utilized
No matter how or when you have become involved with equity work, it is always possible to more fully integrate intersectionality into your view of these issues
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Intersectionality in Practice-Recognize Difference
Recognize that all unique experiences of identity, and particularly ones that involve multiple overlapping oppressions, are valid
Recognize that people experience the world differently based on their overlapping identity markers
One way of doing so is when you attend rallies, take a look at the signs that others hold-how do they assert their identity and how does this inform the issues they care most about?
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Intersectionality in Practice-Check Your Privilege
Look beyond just skin color
Middle class?
University level education?
Able-bodied?
Cis-gender?
All your social identities play into your “privilege” even if you didn’t ask for it. Reflect on these and consider how this impacts the discriminations you do and don’t experience
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Intersectionality in Practice-Listen and Learn
Intersectionality is about learning and understanding views from others
Listen to, include and meaningfully collaborate with diverse groups
Hear and honor their words. But remember it’s not the responsibility of marginalized groups to educate people on their experiences
This often takes up lots of emotional labor and should never be taken for granted so be prepared to help undertake some of the labor by doing your own research
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Intersectionality in Practice-Make Space
Ask yourself if you’re the right person to take up space or speak on certain issues
Center stories and actions on those with the lived experiences
Don’t speak for them, don’t speak over them
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Intersectional in Practice-Watch Your Language
So many of the words we use every day are ableist, exclusionary and downright offensive to marginalized communities
When was the last time you said “ah, that’s so lame!” when you were annoyed about something? Consider how someone with a physical impairment might hear this
Recognize and correct your use of such terms. Accept criticism and call others out. As we become more intersectional and better at understanding differences, our language evolve to simply reflecting experiences from people of a singular identity
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Intersectionality in Practice-Analyze the Space You Occupy
Becoming comfortable recognizing difference also involves recognizing when that difference is not represented in the spaces you occupy
Diversity of all kinds matter in your workplace, your activism, your community spaces, and more
If you are meeting with a local LGBTQ+ organization, is there representation of LGBTQ+ people of color? You may feel that your workplace is racially and ethnically diverse, but is it accessible to people with disabilities? Take note of the welcoming or distancing practices of the spaces you frequent
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Intersectionality in Practice-Show Up
Do not expect people who face different systems of oppression than you to rally for causes you care about if you do not rally for theirs
As you hear about issues others face, learn about the work that is currently being done around these topics
Listen and defer to those who live with these intersectional identities each day. As you do, you will likely deepen your understanding of your own identity and the subjects you care about most
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