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Intersectionality in everyday life
Intersectionality in everyday life
Advantages and disadvantages of diversity in all aspects
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If I were to say “intersectionality”, a majority of people I know, besides the ones outside of this geography course, would have no idea what I meant. As a matter of fact, I myself had never heard of intersectionality before the guest lecture. So, what exactly is intersectionality, why is it important, how does it affect identity, and how does it fit into the context of a geography class? I will be answering all these questions in my essay. So, to begin to understand intersectionality and its importance, it might be easier to introduce intersectionality with a dictionary definition. Intersectionality, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary is “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating …show more content…
So, intersectionality is a concept that acknowledges that people live multi-dimensional lives; that there are different identities and also different difficulties that people have and experience. People are not just one-dimensional. So, for example, a woman isn’t just a woman. She might be a first-generation college student, Muslim, queer, etc. According to YW Boston, intersectionality also asserts that people sometimes disadvantaged by multiple sources of oppression based on their identities (YW Boston). So why is intersectionality important? It’s important because in order to have a more equitable society, we as members of that society need to realize that people are not one dimensional in order to not only understand everyone, but so everyone can feel welcome in our society. Without intersectionality, it’s incredibly easy to over-generalize a certain group like “all men feel” a certain way or “every LBGTQ person believes” some common belief. But, this over-generalization isn’t an accurate interpretation of how reality actually is. Every person has more than one identity that affects them, and may have different
In many contemporary spaces, intersectionality is taught and consumed as a static concept of merely listing identities carried by one person simultaneously. It’s used more often as a checklist than a place of analysis or resistance. However, the use of intersectionality as just an apolitical tool, rather than a theory born from the knowledge of Black women experiencing a “triple jeopardy” of oppression and seeking liberation by deconstructing the institutions that bind them, is reductionist at best. In “Intersectionality is Not Neutral”May communicates that intersectionality pushes us to question and challenge the relatively mundane or acceptable norms in society that lend themselves to a continuous legacy of systemic inequality.
Understanding one another starts with understanding the various social intersections that make up our identities. Intersectionality, a concept developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw, analyzes how aspects of social location (gender, race, class, age, etc.) intersect and are linked, thereby creating multiple identities that relate to systems of oppression and marginalization (Carbado, Crenshaw, Mays, & Tomlinson, 2013). In this paper, the theme of intersectional identity will be explored using Janet Mock’s (2014) story as a case study, based off her book, Redefining Realness. Moreover, there will
This essay will be unpacking and analysing the different elements that create my own intersectionality in my life. This essay will be discussing how class, gender/sex and race have influenced who I am and the experiences I have had throughout my life, and how various structures impact these experiences, with reference to the Crenshaw and Dill and Zambara articles, I will connect their thoughts and ideas to the intersectionality of my own life.
In the opening chapter of their book, Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge examine the meaning of intersectionality as they apply it to three distinct examples: the FIFA World Cup, a World Congress of Sociology, and the Brazilian festival of Latinidades. Intersectionality, as defined by the authors, refers to “a way of understanding and analyzing the complexity in the world, in people, and in human experiences.” Intersectionality is often used as an analytic tool to better understand the social and political needs of those whose lives are influenced by multiple intersecting identities (i.e. Black feminism is used to call attention to the specific needs of Black women). The idea of structural power is another key component of intersectionality discussed by Hill Collins and Bilge in the chapter. They argue that power is organized in four distinct, interconnected domains (interpersonal, disciplinary, cultural, and structural), and “operates by disciplining people in ways that put people’s lives on paths that makes some options seems viable and others out of reach.” This idea is outlined in the World Cup example as the authors discuss the “pay to play” ideology in soccer that disadvantages those with lower socioeconomic status. At the conclusion of their chapter, Hill Collins and Bilge outline six core ideas that tend to come up when using intersectionality as an analytic
Identity is one of the main questions throughout all of our readings, because it is hard for people to accept who they are in society. Accepting their identity as a minority with little if any freedoms sparks many of the social problems which I will show happening in all communities and cultures. The main issue we will discuss is how social environments effect the search for identity. The Mexicans in the U.S. module gives us examples how Mexicans try to keep their customs while living in a discriminated environment by the Whites. This module also gives us examples how people are searching for personal identity while struggling with cultural traditions. Finally, the African-American module gives us more examples to compare with the Mexicans in the U.S. module, because these readings deal with Blacks finding personal identity also through discrimination from the Whites. To properly understand the theme of identity, we must first look the factors influencing it.
As Americans we live in isolation, surrounded by advertisements, electronic screens, fast food, the internet, etc. We live these lives while thousands scream out in hunger and thirst begging to nourish their families. Living lives in excess, often unknowingly supporting a system that is not sustainable, breeds capitalism, and unplugs us from the rest of the world. Having been raised in a typical suburban home my ideas of culture were going to Olive Garden or walking by Riverside in Minneapolis. However, Geography 111 has challenged what I believed, truly allowing me to grasp that I am not part of solution I am problem that spreads neocolonialism, capitalism, and western culture wherever a profit can be made. Learning about these topics and combining it with a geographical perspective I know will enable me to break from the molds and forge new paths.
Pederson, Katie. “Identity.” Intersections: An Introduction to the Liberal Arts. Ed. Peggy Fitch. Littleton, MA: Tapestry, 2011. 67-68. Print.
Feminism must be intersectional because equality struggles go farther than gender. As a human race, we are all different, but all deserve justice in social, economic, and political matters. Intersectional feminism is beneficial to everyone. It focuses not just on combating gender inequality, but also racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, fat/skinny shaming, classism, etc.
Root, M., P., (1996) The multiracial experience: Racial borders as the new frontier. Copyright 1996 by Sage Publications, Inc.
Although it often goes unknown, Allison wrote Two or Three Things I Know For Sure and it shares experiences that reveal intersectionality and it addresses how her life experiences and environment shaped her into who she is now. This book also reveals the juxtaposition between how people identify themselves with intersectionality and how society or others view and hold them to specific standards. This book reveals how history can repeat itself, how others can be impacted by the intersectionality surrounding them and how they feel pressured to stick to a standard placed upon them such as the reoccurring idea of being “pretty”. The book ends with Allison and her sister addressing Allison’s niece as being “pretty” and Allison breaks down the walls surrounding her allowing herself to see the battles she’s faced in the
Understanding intersectionality is important in that it helps in identifying the areas where the oppression is hence allowing the discussion on how to solve the issues. It gives people the avenue of advocating for their issues and in most case, women are always the affected group when it comes to inequality. To this end, women of color still experience a lot of discrimination and violence when compared to the average white heterosexual women. Hence it is important that intersectionality can help in advocating for the rights of women of color.
It can be usefully applied when addressing the different forms of discrimination faced by members of the LGBTQ community. With intersectionality, many issues facing the members of the LGBTQ group could be solved. For example, legal and political mechanisms will look at the big picture when handling the LGBTQ problems as opposed to separating those problems into smaller parts and discarding some (Barber, 2017). The intersectional lens also helps to advocate for those members of the LGBTQ community who have intersecting identities and this promotes the implementation of inclusive policies such as equal pay and equal job opportunities despite the intersecting identities (Barber,
Intersectionality was one of the greatest concepts this course shed light on, intersectionality is can be broadly defined as the coming together of various social groups to work together to fight against forms of oppression. In the conceptual frameworks portion of the book Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, they talk about the importance of privileged identities and disadvantaged identities coming together to work towards solving a particular issue. While before taking this course I was somewhat aware of the various forms of oppression, I never gave much thought to how I could help combat forms of oppression that I did not necessarily experience with my own identity.
This theory focuses on using multiple factors to conceptualize systems of oppression. Patricia Collins, in her article, “Towards A New Vision” mentions to the reader it is important that we realize race, class, and gender are interlocking categories of analysis that together cultivate profound differences in our personal biographies (Collins,1989). Meaning, it is important to take into account an individual’s identity is more than just being female/male or black/white. Intersectionality allows for multiple factors to be analyzed at a time rather than just analyze dichotomous factors. For example, within intersectionality individuals are allowed to analyze the life of a Hispanic women, living in a low class neighborhood, who has a means of low education. Collins states, “we must re-conceptualize race, class, and gender in order to create new categories of connection and questions how can we transcend these barriers created by our experience with race, class, and gender oppression.” However, intersectionality brings forth many problems in terms of social
Even with disconnected threads of thought the fabric of feminism connects those threads together. There may be some resistance at first but things should work out in the end. Intersectionality is the study of how issues such as race, class, and gender can be connected in some way and solved or at least considered. The road to equality is quite long but lets not forget to help those on the side.