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bePART ONE: BENEDICT ANDERSON

1. What does Anderson mean by saying that a nation is imagined, limited and sovereign? Anderson means that a nation is a recently new concept that is less meaningful than what most people believe. A nation is limited to society’s imagination, therefore Anderson does not think a nation should be used as concretely. Anderson also mentions that not all members of a nation are truly connected, so the nation is limited. Anderson means that a nation is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow members, meet them, or even hear them, yet in the minds of each lives the the image of their communication. Anderson says they are limited because even the largest of them, encompassing perhaps a billion living human beings, has finite, if elastic, boundaries, beyond which lie other nations. They are imagined as sovereign because the concept was born in an age in which enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the legitimacy of the divinely-ordained, hierarchical dynastic realm. We think Anderson is saying that a nation only consists of what one imagines it to be. Therefore, a nation is limited and sovereign to the degree of which one imagines it to be. Anderson means there are no clear boundaries between different nations, a group of people who have a common goal and brief, using the same management ways, organizations. And there is no limit to the human mind. Anderson means that a nation is imagined because we do not know most of the members. It is limited because it has a finite boundary. It is sovereign because the concept was born in an age in which Enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the legitimacy of the divinely-ordained, hierarchical dynastic realm.

2. What does the idea of an “imagined community” do for our working definition? The idea of an “imagined community” adds more flexibility and makes the definition more broad than it was before. Because like Anderson stated, we can be part of communities where we have never even met some of the other members. It’s almost as if everything we are apart of is a community because they can be imagined. Adds more flexibility to other perspectives and does not restrain locations, time, place etc. We are not restrained to a particular group of community. According to Anderson’s definition of “imagined”, it is almost impossible for us to meet and be familiar with everyone in the community. Therefore, we do not feel like we have to be super engaged or familiar with a community to feel belonged to the community. The idea of an imagined community changes our definition by explaining that there are different levels to membership of a community. One is able to come up with a personal and flexible definition of community that best applies to their personal life. The limitation of this community is not about the external manifestation of things.We can do everything, because in the” imaged” community our behavior is unlimited.

PART TWO: YUVAL-DAVIS

In this section, answer all that you can, and note any questions that you may have.

1. What is Yuval-Davis’s critique of intersectionality? (8-10)

This author thinks that intersectionality should not be just for marginal groups. She thinks that it should be open to everyone that is willing and that it could be used for a framework.

She believes that intersectionality is not just people in multiple margins of society, but as all members of society and it should be used as a framework for social stratification.

Believes that intersectionality shouldn’t be limited to marginal groups of society and should encompass all members of society. And that it should be used as a framework to analyse social hierarchy

Yuval-Davis explains that intersectionality should not be limited to those who are on multiple margins of society. It is more multidimensional and inclusive than others definitions. Intersectionality should include all members of society, as said by Yuval-Davis.

2. Why is it important that categories are not universally visible/given value? (pp. 8-9)

The problem with a category is that not only does it define who is included, but also who is not included. The unincluded people may feel left out due to the inclusivity of a strict and defined category.

Having a universal definition or belief of who belongs to certain groups/categories, many people would be left out because of the limited nature of a definition.

If a category is defined then it can leave people out of it that may feel like they should be a part of it or want to be a part of it. When a category is defined too much/given value it can become too strict and exclude people.

When creating a definition, it is creating a boundary of those who belong and those who do not. Categories should be all inclusive for those who identify and feel like they belong if they wish to be a member of said category or community.

3. What does ‘belonging’ mean and what are the tensions inherent in it? How does this differ from ‘politics of belonging’? (10)

Belonging is how you are feeling. If you feel like you belong in a place, group or whatever it may be you feel safe and cared for. Political belonging is more of an outside view of what being a part of a group means. People are sometimes just put into certain communities by others because of a trait while the person may not feel that they are actually a part of that group.

Belonging is about an emotional attachment, about feeling “at home”. However, it is important to recognize that feeling “at home” does not necessarily only generate positive and warm feelings. It also allows the safety, as well as the emotional engagement to be, at times, angry, resentful, ashamed, and indignant.

A sense of belonging refers to emotional attachment, about feeling “at home”. The politics of belonging refers to the fact that people's emotions surrounding ‘home’ can differ drastically based on location, environment and overall experience.

Belonging means feeling “at home.” However, not everyone feels the same way about “home” therefore there may be individual tensions associated with the feeling of at home. One may associate home with pressure, resentment or other negative feelings. The politics of belonging is different because it is less about a personal, inner feeling. Furthermore, when looking at the politics of belonging, boundaries are often spatial whereas a feeling at home has less to do with physical space.

Belonging is an inner feeling that the subconscious brings you a sense of a place. Belonging is a subjective feeling.Political attribution is an external one that requires objective judgment.

4. What does Yuval-Davis mean by the ‘scaling of belonging’? (12)

The three different parts of the scale are social locations, identifications and emotional attachments, and ethical and political values. People can feel more or less belonging to various groups along the scale depending on who they are and what they believe.

She discusses that there are many layers to define belonging, and it can mean different things to different people. The layers can be broken down into social locations, identifications and emotional attachments, and ethical and political values. All three connect, but are important to analyze on their own.

The scaling of belonging represents that belonging can be felt differently depending on one’s identities, beliefs and values. Saying that one belongs or does not belong fails to represent human complexity.

‘Belong’ has many different ways and different objects of attachment. Thus, ‘scaling of belonging’ means people can have different ways of humanity and identification in many ways.

She divides all the belongings into three parts. We can define whether we have a sense of belonging and we can judge them by these three parts.

What are social locations and how does this relate to intersectionality as you understand it? (12)

Social location is more of a term that describes certain societal locations in which people of similar views and ideas can belong to the same place or status. Status can be defined hierarchy in terms of this definition. Through this hierarchy, intersectionality can relate to one's identity.

Social location does not mean the physical location of people but rather their social and economic locations. Some examples of these are sex, race, class, nation, or age group. These are some aspects that impact weight in power relations within their society.

Their social locations are more just who they are born as and when. These social locations can put a person in various communities depending on who they are and when. With these social locations people are put in certain places on the axes of power.

Some examples of social locations include sex, race, class, nation, age group, kinship group, certain professions, etc. These are people’s social and economic locations, which tend to have certain positionalities along axes of power that are higher or lower than other such categories.

5. What are ‘identities and emotional attachments’ and how do they differ from social locations? Why is the plural (‘attachments’ rather than ‘attachment’) important? (14-15)

Identities are narratives we tell ourselves about who we are, including personal attributes or membership in various groups. Social location can influence our narratives, but it does not make up our narratives. Identities are always growing and shifting, so attachments to certain ideas, places or people, can change.

Identities and emotional attachments are each individuals personal narrative, these narratives extend past belonging to communities. The identities include but are not limited to personality traits, aspirations, and body image, differing identities from social location. The level of attachment may vary and may also be emotionally attached to just more than one thing throughout phases of your life.

Identities and emotional attachments are relational narratives. They capture how not every belonging is important to people in the same way and to the same extent. The plural is important because one has many attachments that are central to who they are. A person cannot be described as just one thing.

Identities are people’s stories that tell others who they are. The stories often relate to what others think about a certain group/community/identity. She explains that identities are a process and they are ever changing because people change and learn more about themselves. These

identities can shift in different times and situations. It is important that attachments is plural because a person can have multiple attachments and feel they are a part of many different identities.

6. How does performativity come into play here? What does she mean when she says that the construction of identity is in a ‘perpetual state of becoming’?

Performativity is the actions and commonalities of those actions between people that bring them together to form a community. These actions have to be repeated in order to be considered a part of said community. The phrase ‘perpetual state of becoming’ means that it is a constant process in forming one’s identities depending on surroundings and other aspects.

Performativity is used to link individuals to collective behaviors. Constructing identity is continuous, and depends upon repetitive actions. One cannot be defined based on a single thought or experience, because that would fail to acknowledge that identity considers a whole person and not just a single moment in time.

Performativity is repetition that associates with certain cultures/spaces, therefore bringing together individual and collective behavior and contributing to one’s own identity narratives and attachments.

Performativity in a community relates to the actions and decisions that the group makes. It represents their values and goals as a group, which upholds the feeling of belonging to the community. How the group interacts with the challenges over time shows their group dynamics and determination. Identity is reflective and constitutive, which requires a perpetual state of becoming. This means constructing one’s identity, authorization and contestation. This in turn plays a role in the group’s power dynamics and order.

7. How do ethical and political values come into play? [note: this does not refer to individual ethics] (18)

Ethical and political values play a role in analyzing a community, or group of people rather than an individual. As the article mentioned, belonging is concerned with the ways identities and attachments are assessed and valued by self and others.

Ethical and political values come into play when we are talking about community as a whole. Politics dictate certain groups within a given community and these groups create a smaller subset in the community that people can be a part of. Ethics describe the struggle in a group, that is dictated by politics, when it comes to decision making and talking about issues that need to be addressed.

Politics can play a role in defining certain groups of a given community, and based off of these groupings of people who share some values, hierarchies can be created that determine power dynamics

Ethical and political values come into play with belonging when the community as a whole is addressed. The group must decide on whether one thing is good or bad. Politics can hold power in a group, which determines the group dynamics. Politics and ethics describe the struggle of community and the decisions that are made within the group.

8. Reflect on the section: How do these three scales impact each other

The three scales impact each other because individuals are at the base of any collective group. What an individual does and believes can impact their community and their community can mold new or modified beliefs. The three scales work together to form a full identity. When one scale is modified or impacted, that scale impacts an entire person. When an entire person is impacted, the other scales are reached.

Based on the three scales, an individual can obtain a more holistic identity. One scale may overlap with another on a day to day basis, so a lot of varying aspects in what defines someone and their communities influence someone's identity.

All three of these scales shape a person to who they are and may provide an explanation of why they are members of certain communities. These three scales are something that are integrated amongst each other constantly involving and we may encounter decisions that influence these scales daily.

These three scales can impact each other because a person may align with different identities and emotional attachments because of their social locations. Their social locations can also influence their performance. Some people may want to align closely with their social locations and have identities that may relate to that while others may have identities that do not align closely with their social locations.

9. How do the politics of belonging interact with these elements of personal belonging? (19-20)

The politics of belonging interact with elements of personal belonging because when people identify with specific elements of personal belonging they can be put in a certain community whether they identify with that specific community or not. This can be a way for people to keep these boundaries around people that identify with a certain group, keep mediated relations on domination within society and creates impersonal relations of power.

The politics of belonging involve not only the maintenance and reproduction of the boundaries of community of belonging by the hegemonic political powers, but also their contestation, challenge and resistance by other political agents. The politics of belonging interact with the elements of personal belonging by sort of being broader. For example, if one has a sense of

political belonging they may not agree with everything in those politics, so that would transfer to an element of personal belonging.

The politics of belonging include struggles around the determination of what is involved in belonging to a community. It is dialogical and encompasses contestations both in relation to the participatory dimension of citizenship as well as in relation to issues related to the status and entitlements such membership entails.

The politics of belonging interact with the power of political projects and symbols. To make symbolic power of belonging, politics empowers alternative theoretical approaches such as feminists. Also, symbolic power builds strong boundaries of belonging which all the political projects of belonging examined “imagined communities”.

SECTION THREE: Edit or add to the working definition

Your definition of “community”: Communities are groups that share a commonality or commonalities (beliefs, interests, space, goals, identities, etc.), but are not monolithic. These heterogeneous groups contain different levels of attachments, and the level of attachment determines trust, care, etc.; this is also impacted by size (though this is not necessarily the main determining factor). Individuals can be members of multiple communities. Communities are based on what an individual identifies with and does not need validation from anyone else to consider themselves part of the community. Some communities are based on personal feeling and people may belong to a community without already knowing it. Every way a person identifies you could consider them a part of a community. Even if that community is very broad and big, then they would be considered to a part of an imagined community. For example, the community of this county, this continent, this planet. We are all apart of these large imagined communities. Identity influences the communities to which we feel we belong because of personal narratives. By universally limiting or defining communities, we inevitably exclude people who may feel to be a member of a particular group. Community in itself has a very flexible definition. It could range from our external characteristics (e.g. individual attributes, body images, etc.) to our internal thoughts and beliefs (e.g. ethical and political values).

Creating a Study Guide for Crenshaw’s Essay on Intersectionality In your groups, work to answer the following questions about your section. The goal for this activity is twofold:

1. You should include information that will allow students who have not looked at your section in-depth to understand the important aspects;

2. You should complete this study guide with the goal of redefining ‘communities’ in mind.

To complete today’s work, do the following: 1. Answer the General Questions , selecting a particular font/color for your group (so

your answers are distinguishable from those of the others. Note that questions 1 & 5 are most important for overarching definitions (they’re explicitly asking you to create or build on working definitions) and questions 2, 3 & 4 ask you to think with these working definitions and consider how they will work in this classroom/in your writing over the semester.

2. Using specific examples from the section you’re working with, answer the questions from the Focused Questions section assigned to your group. For this section, your answers will stand alone, so they need to be complete and clear for people who have not looked in-depth at the section of the article.

3. Using the new information from the Crenshaw piece, alter or add to the class’s definition of community (copied above)

You can assign specific questions to particular group members, but you should review and revise your answers together. You can look at other groups’ answers to their questions to help build on your own.

Part 1: General Questions

1. What is “intersectionality”? Social categorizations applying to a group of people that can lead to discrimination due to being a part of that group Two or more groups that one can identify with that can overlap and interact. Interconnected nature of social categories that can range from, but are not limited to, class, race, and gender that are applied to individuals and groups. Intersectionality can overlap different categories. The state of social categories (race, class, gender, sexuality) being interconnected creating an overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. Different aspects such as gender, race, sexuality, class of your identity play a role in daily life. Social categorizing can result in discrimination and generalizations. 2. How does intersectionality impact our understanding of people and groups? Intersectionality allows to see similarities and differences between the groupings and that leads to the creation of these groups.

Intersectionality makes our understanding of people and groups more difficult and complex, as there are more avenues that people can be on/ a part of It’s not necessarily a good thing, but one may be able to judge or stereotype a certain group or person based on their intersectionality. Intersectionality helps identify common traits in a person based on what groups they may belong to. It helps us get a well-rounded understanding of a person but also can lead to stereotyping. Intersectionality impacts our perception of people and groups by placing generalizations on them based on their identities. 3. Another theorist, Oluo, argues that, among other things, “intersectionality forces people to interact with, listen to, and consider people they don’t usually interact with, listen to, or consider” (79). How do you see that working in a writing classroom? It mixes people from different majors into a single classroom and makes it so it is easier to interact with people outside your major. Otherwise we get stuck in the other group with people from our same major and classes. In a writing classroom, there are people from different majors and backgrounds. We are working together when we may not have otherwise shared our opinions and ideas. This is an opportunity for all academic programs to collaborate. This works in a writing class because many different types of people are brought together, but they all come from a diverse background and upbringing and in order to complete tasks we have to be able to work with these different individuals. Being flexible and understanding of the personal experiences a writer portrays through their own writing (that may be different to your own) In a writing classroom, students provide different perspectives based on their backgrounds (hometowns, majors, lifestyle). So the intersectionality plays a role in our understanding of each other. 4. Crenshaw uses intersectionality to address a problem she sees in identity politics and social justice work. What is this problem and how does this concept address it? How would this concept work outside these frameworks? How would it work in a classroom discussion? The problem addressed in this is that there is a problem in identity politics and that it often encourages differences to be ignored. Outside of the groups explained in the reading, this applies to any grouping of people and the differences between them. In a classroom discussion, this could be any amount of differences and the recognition of those to where some differences get ignored on purpose or not The problem is that there is violence against women of color- racism, sexism, and marginalization work together to create this issue. The concept is flexible in the way that it depends on the intersectionality categorizes each group and society’s response to them. Intersectionality in a classroom would facilitate discussion because it brings together differences and opens communication between them. The problem with identity politics is that it frequently conflates or ignores intragroup differences. You are able to address this problem in accepting that there are many different levels of

involvement in a certain group (or community) and you should not make judgements about that individual because of a group they chose to be involved with. In a classroom setting it is extremely important to keep an open mind about everyone and not judge individuals. The problem with identity politics is the existence of intrinsically negative frameworks in which social power works to exclude or marginalize those who are different. It is addressed by highlighting intragroup differences instead of ignoring them. Expecting different achievements of students in the classroom based on their groups rather than their ability. The problem in social justice work and identity politics are violence against women of color. Marginalization and discrimination leads to violence due to predispositions to a certian group. Depending on the scenario and setting, it may fluctuate some, but for the most part discrimination still exists. In classroom discussions, people are more open minded towards others than in a political setting. 5. Using Crenshaw’s conclusion (pp. 1296-9), explain how intersectionality can be used to complicate and critique ideas of communities. Intersectionality can complicate the ideas of communities as starts to create more divides and essentially begins breaking apart a community based on those Intersectionality complicates communities because it says categories are socially constructed into delegating power unevenly, causing a hierarchy of communities. Intersectionality provides a basis for reconceptualizing different groups such as race and gender as a coalition between two superficially opposing groups to find ways to identify and support each other. Groups often only see differences rather than similarities because of the social construct and inequalities of power distributed ultimately weakening a community. Intersectionality complicates the idea of communities because one may identify in so many different ways, care about many different things, and have so many interests, that someone can be involved in many different communities. Crenshaw concludes that intersectionality is more fluid than one may think. This results in communities becoming more complicated and heterogeneous.

Part 2: Focused Questions

Structural Intersectionality (Crenshaw, pp. 1245-51) Questions 1. What is “structural intersectionality”? Structural Intersectionality is the purposeful creation of a divide based on any number of classifications Structural intersectionality is the ways in which the location of women of color at the intersection of race and gender makes our actual experience of domestic violence, rape, and remedial reform qualitatively different than white women.

2. How does this differ from political and representational intersectionality?

In political and representational intersectionality, there isn’t necessarily a purposeful creation of these divides. Rather, it eventually gets solidified after a period of time that makes these divides appear. It is different in the way it is set up compared to political and representation intersectionality. For example, there are many different barriers, such as language and cultural, that set structural intersectionality apart from political and representational intersectionality. Political Intersectionality (Crenshaw, pp. 1253-82) Questions 1. What is “political intersectionality”? Political intersectionality results in faults in the system such as institutional racism. Based on one’s intersectionality identities, scenarios in politics are viewed differently . Also, anti-racist groups can further marginalize and suppress women of color by using narrowely focused strategies.

Political intersectionality is a tool used by people in power as an advantage to remain in power. Political intersectionality is used to remedy one issue while still exploiting another issue.

2. How does this differ from structural and representational intersectionality? Political intersectionality differs from structural analysis by not being defined by location, but by political power. This idea also differs from representational intersectionality by defining individuals beyond stereotypes. Structural intersectionality results in women of color not getting their needs met as compared to racially privileged women. Representational intersectionality is how women of color are (mis)represented in media. This can lead to further stereotyping. Representational Intersectionality (Crenshaw, pp. 1282-1295) 1. What is “representational intersectionality”? How images and impressions are too broadly formed by the narratives we assign to race, gender, etc (more simply put as stereotypes) do not account for the differences among members of one community to another and therefore inaccurately represent individuals 2. How does this differ from political and structural intersectionality? Rather than having to do with the divisions of the communities based on classifications or the political policies of a given group, representational intersectionality has to do with the implications of broad stereotypes assigned to groups.

New Definitions of Community:

Communities are groups that share a commonality or commonalities (beliefs, interests, space, goals, identities, etc.), but are not monolithic. These heterogeneous groups contain different levels of attachments, and the level of attachment determines trust, care, etc.; this is also impacted by size (though this is not necessarily the main determining factor). Individuals can be members of multiple communities, so it is important for group members to be accepting of people in their groups even though some of their other ideas may be conflicting. If someone is involved in your community and is part of another community, be open minded about their other communities and identities. Communities are groups that share a commonality or commonalities (beliefs, interests, space, goals, identities, etc.), but are not monolithic. These heterogeneous groups contain different levels of attachments, and the level of attachment determines trust, care, etc.; this is also impacted by size (though this is not necessarily the main determining factor). Individuals can be members of multiple communities. Within the communities, there can also exist smaller sub communities due to a number of traits Communities are groups that share a commonality or commonalities (beliefs, interests, space, goals, identities, etc.), but are not monolithic. Individuals can be members of multiple communities, whether or not those identities are outwardly visible to others. Being a part of one community does not detract from the attachment or membership one has to another community, but can influence the relationship one has with that community and/or their own self. Communities are groups that share a commonality or commonalities (beliefs, interests, space, goals, identities, etc.), but are not monolithic. These heterogeneous groups contain different levels of attachments, and the level of attachment determines trust, care, etc.; this is also impacted by size (though this is not necessarily the main determining factor). Individuals can be members of multiple communities. Communities often include both horizontal and vertical linkages of power and involvement. Communities are groups that share a commonality or commonalities (beliefs, interests, space, goals, identities, etc.), but are not monolithic. These heterogeneous groups contain different levels of attachments, and the level of attachment determines trust, care, etc.; this is also impacted by size (though this is not necessarily the main determining factor). Individuals can be members of multiple communities. Intersectionality can further represent one’s identity and communities. It can build layers and expand one’s communities.

SECTION 1: DEFINITIONS BASED ON INDIVIDUAL READINGS When your group completes SECTION 1, move on to SECTION 2.

Pfortmüller, “What Does Community Even Mean? A Definition and Attempt at Conversation Starter”

How Pfortmüller defines “community”:

- a group of people that care about each other and feel they belong together - Shared goals are not enough.. Internal goal is more important than external

Human Relationships Shared Identity

- Mutual feelings and beliefs, with equal relationships of human interaction - Not based on just location - Chosen by the individuals

How this definition differs from Chavis & Lee:

- Just about communities of people and people can live in different communities - Formal and informal institutions - Meeting common needs - Choose your community

Chavis & Lee, “What is Community Anyway?”

How Chavis & Lee define “community”:

- Care about each other to have a real community.. Build relationships - Need for organization in community - Community is identity

- Form and maintain communities to meet common needs - People know who is and isn't part of their community. Community is less chosen, you

can be born into the community.

- Different communities for different. - Communities integrated within communities

How this definition differs from Pfortmüller:

- Says you don’t need a goal to be in a community - Has a common goal or needs - Chavis & Lee differs by stating community is less chosen, can be born into it

SECTION 2: GROUP DEFINITIONS OF “COMMUNITY” After unpacking how the individual authors define community differently, work together as a group to come up with what you think is the best definition in the space below. Label your definition with your names. Note: There is no particular length requirement here, so your definition can be as short or as long as is necessary to encompass all the elements you think are important. Adam, Sam, Adam, Jared, Leo A group of people brought together because they share similar interests, beliefs, or goals.

  Eleanor, Elli, Daryl, Josh, Melissa, Yujin Community - A group of people one chooses in which they feel like they belong and trust other members but don’t necessarily have the same goals.   Sam, Katie, Mitch, Matt, Isaiah Community- a group of people that share commonalities (beliefs, interests, goals)        

SECTION 3: CLASS DEFINITION