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Scenario of intersectionality in everyday life
Intersectionality in everyday life
Intersectionality in everyday life
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Intersectionality is a theory which studies how the oppressions and the privileges that a woman faces influence and affect each other to create an individual experience. This idea is well explained by Chandra Mohanty in “cartographies of struggle.” In her book Monhanty writes, “I want to suggest that it is possible to retain the idea of multiple, fluid structures of domination which intersect to locate women differently at particular historical conjunctures, while at the same time insisting on the dynamic oppositional agency of individuals and collectives and their engagement in "daily life.” It is this focus on dynamic oppositional agency that clarifies the intricate connection between systemic relationships and the directionality of power” …show more content…
A black woman won’t face sexism and then racism independently of each other, but a racialized sexism that can only be understood by addressing them together. Modern day feminists have taken this idea and applied it to all aspects of life that can cause a person to face adversity or privilege, including but not limited to gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, race, religion, and nationality. Looking at someone’s individual situation as something with different facets of privilege and oppression has helped feminists to approach the movement in the way to help all women. My own experiences have come from the intersections between my white and socioeconomic privileges and the oppressions that I face as a woman. These oppressions and privileges stem from the patriarchal ideologies of the social superstructure and show how intersectionality is faced at the personal …show more content…
In high school, a boy made up a rumor that we had sex at a party. The rumor spread around, and no seemed to take my word over his; they said I was only denying it because of regret. The most frustrating part of it was that people were calling me a slut, and at the same time were congratulating him. This stems from the impossible double standard that women face when it comes to sex. Women are shamed for having and enjoying sex, yet the same behavior is expected and even celebrated in men. Terms like “whore” and “slut” are almost exclusively used on women, and there is no male equivalent. The shaming doesn’t come from society having a problem with sex but is a facet of how the patriarchy enforces male dominance over women. Some of the more dangerous aspects of patriarchy are the condoning of men asserting their dominance over women verbally and physically. Only a daily basis women have to deal with men thinking they have a right to touch us without an invitation, to say unprovoked and unwarranted sexual things to us; to call us “bitch” or a “tease” when we point out unacceptable behavior. When I worked a Café over the summer I had problems with a man who would come in and make me uncomfortable; when we were alone in the café he would approach my cash and tell me about how he could use his phone to turn off the Café’s security camera’s. He would
In “In Living Color: Race and American Culture”, Michael Omi claims that racism still takes place in America’s contemporary society. According to Omi, media and popular culture shape a segregating ideology by giving a stereotypical representation of black people to the public, thus generating discrimination between races (Omi 115:166). In “Bad Feminist: Take One”, Roxane Gay discusses the different roles that feminism plays in our society. She argues that although some feminist authors and groups try to create a specific image of the feminist approach, there is no definition that fully describe feminism and no behaviors that can make someone a good feminist or a bad feminist (Gay 304:306). Both authors argue
Remember to always be aware of who you are, and that as a woman, I would face many challenges in society. In my youth, much of these family discussions were passing conversation until I reached late high school and early university days that I realised my challenges and disadvantages of being a female. For the first time in my life, university opened my eyes to the true meaning of misogyny, and how little female influence there was in the university systems, and in the workplace surrounding me. The older I became, the more exposed I was to the lack of diversity and equality women experienced, and I for one became a part of that as well. Drawing from the reading by Kimberle Crenshaw, she spoke about the antidiscrimination laws and how black female bodies’ experiences are not taken seriously in society, it captured my attention with relation to the intersectionality struggles I attempt to conquer on daily, religious basis. She is quoted saying in relation to the laws regarding black female bodies that, ‘antidiscrimination doctrine essentially erases Black women’s distinct experiences and, as a result, deems their discrimination complaints groundless.’(Crenshaw, 1989). Although this quote speaks of the black female body experience in law specifically, which is my personal story, I can draw points and information that can be relatable to my gender/sex. As a female, I
According to feminist scholar Victoria Bromley, intersectionality is a theory used by feminists that considers the intertwinement of systems of oppressions, intricate multiple identities of individuals, and social inequalities of society. Each of these factors influence the lives of humanity and have ultimately created a world where being different can either be a negative or positive thing. Through the use of expression and persuasion, Bromely argues that intersectionality analyzes the complexity of multiple identities and their interrelationships, the experiences and positionalities of those with multiple identities and their existence within the frameworks of power, which are systems of inclusion and exclusion, and hierarchies of privilege,
After reading the “Introduction to Women’s Studies Concepts” power point the pieces from hooks, Hull and Smith, Kimmel, and Yap are important to feminist literature because they all talk about a different aspect of feminism. In Talking Back by Bell Hooks, the woman explains how it was not okay for her to speak or ask whatever she wanted. “In the world of the southern black community that I grew up in, “back talk” and “talking back” meant speaking as an equal to an authority figure” (1). In the past women were not allowed to just speak their mind it was ‘wrong’. This story demonstrates the black racism involved with feminism. People opened their ears to what the black men had to say, but they could easily block out what the black women had to say. The Politics of Black Women’s Studies by Hull and Smith also dealt with black racism taking place. The men were sexist and the white women were racist. Where did this leave place for the black women? In Men and Women’s Studies: Premises, Perils, and Promise by Kimmel sexism and racism. This short story talks about how women’s studies lea...
According to feminist Victoria L. Bromley, if feminism is about combating all forms of inequalities, including oppression, towards all social groups, then feminists must study how masculinity oppresses both men and women. Patriarchy, men’s powers and dominance, hegemonic masculinity, the idea that the “dominant group” in society is most powerful, and hyper masculinity, the exaggeration of the emphasis on male characteristics, all lead to oppression through multiple forms: privileges and unearned privileges, hierarchies of power and exclusion. Bromley argues that the feminist approach towards eliminating oppression, is to use an intersectional analysis, a theoretical tool used for understanding how multiple identities are connected and how systems
In the U.S., feminism is understood as the rights of women (usually affluent white women) to share the spoils of capitalism, and imperial power. By refusing to fully confront the exclusions of non-whites, foreigners, and other marginalized groups from this vision, liberal feminists miss a crucial opportunity to create a more inclusive and more powerful movement. Feminist movements within the U.S. and internationally have long since accepted that, for them, feminism entails the communal confrontation of not only patriarchy, but capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy, and other forms of oppressions that combine together and reinforce their struggle. It means the fighting for the replacement of a system in which their rights are negated in the quest for corporate and political profit. It includes fighting so that all people anywhere on the gender, sexual, and body spectrum are allowed to enjoy basic rights like food, housing, healthcare, and control of their labor.
Intersectionality is an important concept that allows the study, understanding, as well as response to the ways in which gender interconnects with otter identities and the ways these connections contribute to unique experiences. According to Symington (2004), the intersectional analysis focuses on revealing the various identities, exposing the diverse types of discrimination and disadvantages that takes place because of the combination of identities. Additionally, intersectional analysis purposes to address the ways in which patriarchy, racism, class oppression and other systems of discrimination lead to disparities that structure the relative positions of women. Symington continues to point out that the objective of this analysis is not to demonstrate that one group is more privileged or victimized than another but to identify the important differences and dissimilarities in order to assist the society to overcome the issues of discrimination. Additionally, this would help the society in putting in place conditions for all the people to enjoy human rights (Symington, 2004).
In order to contextualize the issue of intra-group violence against Black women, it is important to understand the role that intersectionality plays on these women. There are many factors that can make a person who they are. These factors can include race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, etc. Nevertheless, a person cannot di...
By understanding oppression, you understand feminism. When you question why your path is blocked with barriers that have nothing to do with individual talent or merit, handicap or failure, but by on being in the membership in some category; that is oppression. (Frye). You have to look at how the barrier fits with others and who benefits or is harmed in its work. The barrier is constructed and maintained by men, for the benefit of men. Evelyn Cunningham states “Women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their oppressors” (Rawlings, 2009). Oppression in people occurs when their options are reduced to very few and all are exposed to penalty, censure or deprivation. Women have been placed in a categ...
Intersectionality is a term used to describe a situation whereby an individual has multiple identities and as result, the person feels that he or she doesn’t belong to one community or another. Because of the many conflicts in an individual’s identities, he or she could be a victim of multiple threats of discrimination (Williams, 2017). The discrimination could be a result of race, gender, age, health and ethnicity among others. To give an example, a black transgender woman could be discriminated in the workplace because of being black and also because she is transgender. From an intersectionality perspective, the woman faces multiple threats of discrimination because of the overlapping identities of gender and race and therefore the transwoman faces a bigger struggle (Barber, 2017). Transwomen of color will most likely encounter prejudices in the form of homophobia, racism or sexism in many dimensions of their life. The perspective of intersectionality is not only applicable to women but it can also be applied to males. For example, a gay Latino man could be discriminated based on race because he is an immigrant into
Gender oppression doesn’t exist by itself; it is interlocked with many other oppressions such as class and racial oppression (Williams lecture, 10/6/2016). The women’s movements of Truth’s time were focused on fighting against sexism that mainly only white women faced that ignored relations of power between white people and black people. For Truth, the most significant issue in relation to gender inequality is that the issues of slavery and race are being pushed aside because the women’s movement only wants to focus one issue. Truth doesn’t quite propose a solution to this problem in her speech; she instead wants her voice and the voices of other black women to be
Multiracial feminism recognizes the need for coalition politics. The autonomous women of color feminist organizations share similar goals, and they realize there is strength in numbers. While creating autonomous groups allows Blacks, Latinas, Native American, and Asian women to focus solely on the oppressions they individually face, they are aware that they share problems with racism, sexism, and classism. Most minority groups are targeted by the government and live in low income households. Along with receiving support from other minority groups they also receive support from militant antiracist white feminists as well. An idea multiracial feminism expanded on was the phrase “Personal is Political”, which means issues that seem personal (abortion, abuse, employment, etc.) are actually political issues (Thompson, 59). Multiracial feminism made the point to expand on that phrase and according to Anne Braden, expand it to “The Personal is Political and The Political is Personal” (Thompson, 59). This expansion of the phrase is important to the antiracist white supporters of women of color. It lets them know that racism, and oppression only women of color face does not mean white women cannot be aware of it and speak out against it. It made the point that a person does not need to directly experience the oppression in order to know it is not right. This allows an
Among the many subjects covered in this book are the three classes of oppression: gender, race and class in addition to the ways in which they intersect. As well as the importance of the movement being all-inclusive, advocating the idea that feminism is in fact for everybody. The author also touches upon education, parenting and violence. She begins her book with her key argument, stating that feminist theory and the movement are mainly led by high class white women who disregarded the circumstances of underprivileged non-white women.
Structural problems get intensified when race, gender, and class oppressions intersect, making it more difficult for women of color to escape their abusers and access appropriate medical and sexual/reproductive healthcare. The principle of intersectionality recognizes that these multiple oppressions are not endured individually, but rather as a single, compounded experience. Identity politics, like those practiced by radical feminists, are inclined to remained silent on intra-group differences (race, class, sexuality), to the detriment of some of its members, in this case black or poor
Seeing gender in terms of femininity and masculinity and their respective relationship to submission and dominance in today’s society is key to understanding the more insidious underpinnings of the patriarchal system and its dehumanization of femininity and masculinity that does not fit within the cisnormative gender binary. Seeing feminism through the lens of fuzzy spectrums of existent or nonexistent intersectionalities is a more cohesive way of understanding oppression and hierarchies of power in which individuals are born into. The allowed passivity on nonbinary issues by individuals in the feminist movement, though not intentionally harmful, leads to severe marginalizations. In an attempt to be seen as equals the marginalized are using the master’s tools to marginalize. Antifoundationalism is a major theory in moving society toward building a foundation of discourse that is not only sound but also one that does not limit the possibility of always learning and adapting with time (where essentialism fails massively). To erasively ignore the needs of the few is to adhere to the same patriarchal stereotypical steamrolling that causes so much systematic sexism and pain. Gendernonconforming individuals have been prevalent and in existence far before the language of intersectionality came to be and thusly forcing feminism into the small