Intersectionality refers to the way race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, status, and other markers of differences intersect to inform individual realities and lived experiences. Intersectionality recognizes that individuals and groups are shaped by multiple and intersecting identities. These identities often inform an individual’s worldview, perspective, and relationship to others in society. The interdepartmental perspective or framework encourages policymakers and social change leaders to determine how race, class, gender, race, sexual orientation, ability, and status affect public policy outcomes at the national, state, and local levels. This approach can also inform advocacy efforts aimed at increasing equity and equality in society.
Structural intersectionality
Structural intersectionality refers to the creation and operation of certain systems and structures in society that maintain privilege for some groups or individuals while restricting the rights and privileges of others. Structural intersectionality encompasses the political, economic, representational, and institutional forms of discrimination and domination. Structural intersectionality highlights the connectedness of systems and structures in society and helps us understand how each system affects or impacts others. Any particular disadvantage or disability is sometimes compounded by another disadvantage reflecting the dynamics of a separate system or structure of subordination.
Political intersectionality
Political intersectionality refers to the structures and systems of the laws and policies that govern individuals and groups in societies. It focuses on the impact of laws, the criminal justice system, public policies, and the government in shaping the individual or group’s sense of fairness, equality, and justice in society. Political Intersectionality highlights how laws and public policies are shaped and informed by dominant cultural perspectives of race, class, gender, ethnicity, age, ability, and sexuality.
Institutional intersectionality
Institutional intersectionality focuses on the impact of institutions on the individual and the group. It highlights how institutions present in society restrict, limit, or deny access to resources for marginalized groups or individuals.
Economic intersectionality
Economic intersectionality pays attention to the distribution of wealth and resources in societies; the individual or group’s access to information; and the impact of social class on an individual or group’s access to resources, opportunities, and mobility.
Representational intersectionality
Representational intersectionality refers to the depiction of individuals and groups in dominant culture and society through media, texts, language, and images. It pays close attention to how both the dominant and marginalized groups are represented in society. It refers to the way race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnic images in society come together to create unique and specific narratives that shape and inform policies, laws, and institutions.
Intersectionality is a concept in sociology that is applicable in the analysis and study of human relationships and interactions within the society.
It stipulates that conventional models of repression in a community, for instance denomination, gender, tribalism, social caste, and other indicators of discrimination act in an entwined web. Additionally, the theory examines how various social and cultural constructions of discrimination normally interact and consequently result into methodical social imbalance in societies.
Consequently, because individuals networked in several groups, their composite identities shape particular ways in which they encounter these prejudices. There are set of cultural systems of prejudice, which are in connection and predisposed by communal intersectional systems.
Issues of sexual category and race for example, may combine to dictate a woman’s destiny. This concept simply describes the manner in which different forms of repressions occur concurrently in a given setting.
The concept of Intersectionality is widely used in the investigation of feminism and womanly relationships. It also includes the analysis of other markers of repression, in which sociologists largely refer to as the isms. Its analysis appreciates the fact that females encounter discriminations for varied reasons. There is uncertainty that there exists a single form of oppression.
There are primary or contributory factors like age, religion, disability and other markers of prejudice. Gender may not be the principle aspect shaping the females’ fate. Feminism refers to advocacy of equality in both sexes in terms of political, human rights, economic, social, and all other rights that a human may be entitled to in a society.
Feminist theories comprise the generalities and explanations about the various sources of female discrimination. They examine the existing gender related prejudices and how they impact on and vary in different environments that females confront.
Liberal feminism addresses personality equality amongst the sexes, focusing on political and legitimate considerations within a particular community.
Liberation is a vital aspect of women empowerment. Intersectionality postulates that feminism only occurs within a context in which additional markers of oppression may interconnect and manipulate the circumstances. Therefore, we cannot generalize experiences whether in advocacy or sympathizing with any condition.
Human rights, justice, personal choices and resolutions, race and tribe all are potential influencers that are unique in every context; moreover, generalities will create a bias. Liberal feminists thus are much likely to suppose various factors of Intersectionality that exist in different communities.
It is imperative to note that radical feminism regards the male dominated entrepreneurial ladder as the cause of females’ discrimination and supports the complete reconstruction of the general society. The main theme here is the oppression of the females by the males due to their constructive positions in capitalist societies.
In analyzing the relationship of Intersectionality and oppression, it is apparent that there is no hierarchy of subjugation though all of them have interrelations. The powers causing the oppressions continue to exist because of guilt and challenging such systems would completely eradicate the oppressions.
There is room for the isms as described by Intersectionality since the hierarchy of males might be due to societal structural arrangements that keep fueling their dominance. It is important to approach Intersectionality with care as this may eliminate the discrimination of others, causing great threat to the oppressed groups.
Socialist feminism associates female oppression to factors such as extortion and work. It recognizes the structural oppression that cause biased opportunities and reduce a category of society members. It denotes capitalism plus patriarchy as the approaches to oppressions. Here, patriarchy as well as capitalism interacts to abuse females while favoring men.
In this regard, Intersectionality also recognizes the intersection of situations or the markers of isms to make individuals vulnerable. Men dominate crucial decision processes and have elevated ranks, which consequently transcribe into huge benefits.
Generally, socialist feminists override the Marxist theories. Intersectionality supports this concept by stressing that there are unique circumstances that make some persons vulnerable to conditions. Therefore, the compounding consequences of being in largely deprived societies change a person’s familiarity with repression.
Post structural feminism involves the application of a range of academic currents for feminist matters. According to the premise, gender is never explicable outside its social configuration in a culture.
With consideration to Intersectionality, it recognizes the fact that certain concepts and ideas only gain meaning in particular contexts and are limited to that context. No generalization exists, as every society is unique from another. Intersectionality here influences the gender structure in diverse communities thus creating the hierarchies of power.
Consideration of the female as the other gender gives them an inferior position. This is constructed through the Intersectionality process and do not naturally exist as presumed.
Intersectionality also supports the stipulation in the post cultural theory that power and character is shaped by the way socialization and is set by cultures. Socialization only occurs when various factors intersect to create an agreed manner of human behavior pattern.
Queer theory deals with study and analysis of all manner of sexual practices, whether deviant or normative. It relates to persons as having individual characteristics rather than group identity in terms of race, religion, or sexual practices. Any person whose mannerisms or appearance differs with the conservative gender practices is a transgender.
Queer theory studies knowledge and social practices that structure a society as a unit by hetero sexualizing or homo-sexualizing bodies’ desires, acts, identities, social relations, knowledge, culture, and social institutions.
The queer and transgender theory thus considers all the markers that might intersect to set a level of interaction and association of different sexual behaviors.
Any transgender group is likely to experience some oppression as determined by inherent factors in that society. There is Intersectionality that influences adoption or inclusion into such behaviors by individuals.
In conclusion, it is crucial to note that Intersectionality have both supportive and negative influences on the feminist theories. In addition, it is important to appreciate the uniqueness in all societies and analyze the various Intersectionalities to help prevent social injustices.
Bibliography
Berger, Michele. & Guidroz, Kathleen. The intersectional approach: transforming the academy through race, class, and gender. North Carolina, UNC. 2009
The intersectionality theory examines the systems of oppression and domination of one group of people over another from many overlapping concepts. This concept appeared due to the development of feminism and the emergence of its subdivision, black feminism. Due to the analysis of their situation in different parts of the world, the researchers concluded that often the experience of other groups of women could not be united under one ideology. For example, dealing with a black woman’s oppression in America will differ from that of a white woman in Europe. The reason for this is the presence of different systems of oppression, in the case of the above example, racial. Although their gender and views on feminism unite both women, their struggle will differ due to society’s positions. Therefore, the intersectionality application will clarify why there are differences in the views of these two women who defend feminism but are in different conditions.
Thus, intersectionality theory asserts that such well-known categories and concepts as racism, sexism, homophobia and economic inequality do not affect a person individually. An individual can face several forms of inequality simultaneously, for example, suffering from racism and sexism. In such cases, this theory helps to analyze how exactly different types of oppression affect the individual, increasing their overall discrimination. The intersectional theory application allows appealing to all general social groups’ subgroups, protecting them all to varying degrees. It is achieved by combining different classes’ experiences, which allows for a complete discrimination model.
Young girls are frequently disadvantaged by interconnected social categorizations such as race, gender, or class. An intersectional perspective can assist in understanding the interconnectedness between the various categorizations in society by contemplating how social structures and relations create different experiences between and within persons. The life of a girl is diverse and deeply rooted in multiple facets of marginalization and discrimination. Girls continue to experience various forms of oppression due to their queer identities that diverge from normalcy and society’s expectations (Dyer 1). As a result, girls often face many devastating consequences caused by their intersectional identities. Taking an intersectional approach to girlhood leads us to consider the inequalities in the experiences of young girls who belong to marginalized groups.
Queerness
An intersectional approach to girlhood can help people understand the queer nature of young girls about their sexual identity and the degree of veering away from social norms. According to Dyer, “queerness inheres in disruptions to conventional formulations of sex, gender, and reproduction, but “queerness” also arises, more generally, from an object’s veering away from expectation” (5). Queer theory assists in replenishing girlhood studies by increasing the understanding of the creative resistances of young girls against normalcy. Intersectionality can help to empathize with girls who are disrespected by normative development theory. Furthermore, society has rigid expectations of girls, which adversely affect the girlhood experience, especially when a girl feels different from societal norms. For instance, lesbians or gay children may be expected to conceal their sexual identity because it is considered strange. The boundaries between female and male bodies are more blurred than people think. The ‘maleness’ or ‘femaleness’ of a human body is inspired by the debate of social actors; therefore, it is unnatural (Dyer 18). Acceptance of queerness enables people to remove heteronormativity and understand sexuality, sex, and gender that are not identity-based.
The Hunting, Criminalization, And Harassment of Indigenous Girls
People can understand the stories of the excessive utilization of force against Indigenous girls by police through an intersectionality lens. Dhillon stated that “it is crucial to locate Indigenous girls’ experiences with policing within the distinct political, ideological, and material formation of settler colonialism and to vociferously interrogate the colonial violence enacted against Indigenous peoples by state institutions” (6). Indigenous girls in Canada have endured physical beatings by police who are supposed to protect them. Indigenous girls are vulnerable to physical beatings and breaking of legs because they come from a low socioeconomic class, limiting their ability to report crimes committed against them. Additionally, the police do not ensure the safety of Indigenous girls since they allow their dogs to attack them during arrests and in custody. Furthermore, Canadian police deploy tasers to respond to threats that are sufficiently low level (Dhillon 12). Intersectionality will enable the public to listen to Indigenous girls to understand the insidious and hidden scopes of colonial policing and eradicate such dimensions.
Indigenous girls face verbal denigration, inhumane cell conditions, sexual assault, and rape problems in state cells. Individuals can understand how such instances of social injustice pervade society and their causes. For example, many Indigenous girls constantly deal with widespread verbal defamation, with repetitive references to gendered and racist slurs. In addition, Indigenous girls can get their claims of domestic violence disapproved and shoddily investigated. On the other hand, Indigenous girls who are accused of public intoxication face brutal conditions in state cells as they are starved, live in cold temperatures, and on some occasions can be released with inadequate clothing during the night (Dhillon 13). Ultimately, intersectionality helps to understand the oppressive principles based on colonialist ideas that are influenced by interconnected societal factors.
Indigenous girls and women carry memories, history, and futures within their bodies as police presence is increased in socially developed places for a community to feel safe. Intersectionality can help examine how Indigenous girls often feel caged in their communities due to increased police presence. In Saskatoon, community organizations with the inclusion of Indigenous organizations have been asked to assimilate police into the harmless places they construct for youth safety. Ironically, Indigenous girls encounter police agents in areas meant for accessing youth programming designed to ‘assist’ the youth. Police hold discussions and rallies on missing and murdered Indigenous girls in state entities established to promote Indigenous extermination. Due to the atrocities committed against Indigenous girls, Dhillon argues that it is critical to recognize “the importance of engaging critical praxis that exists outside the so-called justice and freedom offered through state mechanisms of recognition and redress” (24). Therefore, intersectional theory helps to comprehend the institutional caging characterized by the constant sensation of controlled movement, truncated freedom, and being hunted (Dhillon 18). Using the intersectional lens, people can understand the daily reality of living as a young Indigenous girl.
Educational Discrimination and Disparities Among Black Girls
Intersectional theory can help individuals comprehend how young black girls are affected by the hyper-punitive and inferior nature of a learning environment characterized by racial isolation. Black girls have high confinement rates and experience high rates of exclusionary discipline such as school expulsions and suspension. The disengagement of young black girls from school is linked to the intersecting inequality structures associated with being black (Morris 6). Morris argues that “for black girls, exclusionary school responses may be informed by historically constructed, stereotypical memes that negatively impact and reflect public perceptions about black femininity” (5). Young black girls can be criminalized due to features that have always been connected with their existence or survival. For example, being defiant or loud can lead to the utilization of exclusionary actions in schools. As such, Morris argues that in California’s “10 largest districts by enrollment, black females experience school suspension at rates that far surpass their female counterparts of other racial and ethnic groups” (5). Juvenile court schools should play a key role in rehabilitating young black girls who are detained through education since confined girls acknowledge the importance of education in their lives.
In addition, black girls are offered low educational quality in juvenile court schools. The struggle to eradicate the remaining segregation from schools in the United States is far from over. There are multiple educational disparities for young black girls in secure confinement. Most of the students who find themselves in juvenile court schools are from marginalized communities, especially black girls. The quality of education in such learning institutions is subpar as most schools may reject credits earned in a juvenile court school. Additionally, such schools rank poorly in their adherence to federal requirements for learning (Morris 5). Most of the schools have been sued for the failure of inadequate provision of educational services.
While the state education department accredits many juvenile court schools, their operations are inconsistent with the state curricula. According to Morris, “overall, a set of rigorous educational best practices with respect to detained children of color, or to culturally and linguistically diverse youth in confinement, is limited” (5). As a result, black girls in such schools often feel the education they receive is of low quality, causing a lack of confidence in the education system (Morris 7). Intersectionality helps recognize such education disparities among incarcerated and marginalized young girls.
Conclusion
In conclusion, intersectionality allows people to consider how unequal the experiences of young and marginalized girls can be. Intersectionality is the acceptance that people’s experiences are shaped by class, race, or gender. Adopting an intersectional perspective helps individuals to comprehend the queer nature of childhood. Queerness refers to the disruptions of the conventional formulations of reproduction, gender, and sex, as well as the act of veering away from social norms. Girls are often expected to behave in a certain way in contemporary society. For instance, a person can understand the desire of a child to have same-sex relations and the implications of queer intimacy. Lesbians or gay people are expected to conceal their sexual identities due to their strangeness. An intersectional lens is vital in examining police brutality and violence such as rape, physical abuse, and verbal defamation. Additionally, intersectionality helps to understand multiple disparities and discrimination in marginalized communities. Understanding how various interconnected societal factors such as race, class, and gender collectively oppress young girls from marginalized communities is critical to creating a world where gender and sexuality are not identity-based.
References
Dhillon, Jaskiran K. “Indigenous Girls and the Violence of Settler Colonial Policing.” Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, vol. 4, no. 2, 2015, pp. 1-31.
Dyer, Hannah. “Introduction: Childhood’s Queer Intimacies and Affective Intensities.” The Queer Aesthetics of Childhood: Asymmetries of Innocence and the Cultural Politics of Child Development. Rutgers University Press, 2019, pp. 1-33.
Morris, Monique. “Education and the Caged Bird: Black Girls, School Pushout and the Juvenile Court School.” Poverty and Race, vol. 22, no. 6, 2013, pp. 5-7.
Notwithstanding its relative newness, the concept of intersectionality has gained considerable popularity in the modern sociopolitical discourse. Among the possible reasons for this is the substantially broader perspective on identity as well as diversity, which it allows. Thus, the widespread opinion tells that, unlike other intellectual tools that target to explore and examine oppression, intersectionality enables multidimensional research in the area and, consequently, more realistic outcomes. This is essential for attracting the wider public’s attention to cases that combine several types of discrimination.
The primary step in evaluating the approaches to analyzing oppression is to define this phenomenon, which, in turn, allows for specifying the scope of the analysis. Although the term is quite complex, a range of features characterizes oppression in all cases, enabling its identification. Specifically, it involves harm due to belonging to a certain group along with the benefit for the opposing groups and is institutional, in other words, “structured within a society” (Pooley & Beagan, 2021, p. 408). In the simplest terms, oppression means the dominance of particular categories of the population over the other, who, consequently, are treated as inferior.
The essential nuance that complicates the above perspective is that a particular individual can belong to several categories in parallel, as the possible criteria of grouping are various. Thus, two females are members of the same group, while a white and a black are not. Within the framework of intersectionality, their experience will be less similar in comparison with that of two African American women, which determines the need for black feminism as a separate movement (Collins, n.d.). Its representatives believe it to be able to prevent unique or marginal cases from erasing due to its broader focus. Notably, traditional feminism covers women without considering their identities other than gender, such as ethnicity; those, meanwhile, also can be the reasons for oppression, which not only aggravates it but also transforms its nature.
An opposite situation, where the movements whose main topic is the rights of African American population neglect other criteria, for instance, gender, is possible as well. Meanwhile, according to Crenshaw (n.d.), such an attitude can reduce the visibility of black women in comparison with black men. To illustrate this, the speaker conducts an experiment; its outcomes show that the names of the female African Americans whom the police killed are less familiar to the audience. Although it is not reasonable to make any quantitative assumptions without broad-scale research on appropriate selection, the lecture exemplifies brightly what intersectionality as an approach is. Specifically, it is expected to provide a unique set of tools for analyzing oppression against those who belong to several historically disadvantaged groups at once, such as the female and the black.
To summarize, intersectionality is a perspective on oppression that attracts public attention to its multidimensional cases of it. The supporters highlight that various rights movements normally focus on a single criterion of grouping, for instance, gender or ethnicity. Such a limited scope results in neglecting and erasing the people who have more than one identifier associated with prejudice and discrimination. The intersectional perspective, meanwhile, rests on combining two or more parameters into one lens through which it regards people’s experiences. This approach allows for better visibility of those who frequently find themselves beyond the diapason of the traditional movements due to the exclusively one-dimensional nature of those.
References
Collins, P. H. (n.d.). Black feminism, intersectionality and democratic possibilities [Video]. TED. Web.
One of the basic theories of identity in the context of feminist and queer studies is intersectionality. It is a critical theory and analytical framework which aims to understand how the various elements of a person’s social identities combine to create the various forms of oppression or privilege. Intersectionality can both complicate people’s lives and also serve as a source of privilege. In any form, it is largely inescapable as humans as we belong to the various social groups some under our control while others are not, but personal identity is influenced by these deeply, sometimes opposing concepts of intersectionality (Meem et al. 188). This paper will focus on exploring my own identity as an African, gay male growing up in a highly conservative and religious family and society.
In the words of Eric Effiong from the acclaimed Netflix series, “I’ll be hurt either way. Isn’t it better to be who I am?” (Sex Education). The character greatly appeals to me as in the show they experience many of the same struggles with acceptance, culture, and identity that I have throughout my life. I was born in Nairobi, Kenya, which despite being one of the largest economies in Eastern Africa, remains impoverished with high levels of economic inequality. My father was a church minister, we were not wealthy, but he tried his best to provide a life for us. Kenya’s population is over 70% Christian since it was a British Colony. A significant portion of society is highly religious and adhering to conservative Christian values. I went to an all-boys boarding school growing up, and despite dating girls, I have known from a young age that I am gay.
Due to the religious values, Kenyan society is extremely homophobic to the point where it is dangerous to “come out” publicly as non-heterosexual. Families would distance themselves and denounce such individuals in the community, while society is extremely punishing. The state does not recognize any relationships between persons of the same sex, and publicly, an LGBTQ individual can be easily assaulted, raped, or even killed. Any LGBTQ+ communities in Kenya are extremely covert and underground, and as a gay man growing up in the country, I had to constantly pretend that I was heterosexual, even to my closest family members.
Eventually, I was able to move to the United States, where I have worked hard to create a good life for my family. At the same time, being present in a more diverse environment, especially in recent years where being LGBTQ+ has been more accepting in the society, I finally felt that I could no longer have to suppress that part of my identity. At first, when arriving in the US, I was curious, but cautious after witnessing years of discrimination. However, eventually, I felt safe and confident enough to let the people close to me know that I was gay and had known since I was young. Unfortunately, very few of them took it well, and my family and old friends in Kenya have largely disavowed from me and will not attempt to understand. It is painful to experience, and I struggle with personal guilt to this day, that my ‘gayness’ is the root of so many problems in the relationships I had with family and friends. However, my social circle here in the US is accepting and supportive of me, they are either LGBTQ+ themselves or are so called ‘allies.’ This allows me to feel comfortable and know that I have a support system that accepts my identity and myself as an individual without letting my sexual orientation influence their judgement.
Circling back to the concept of intersectionality, it is evident that my personal set of backgrounds, circumstances, and influences have contributed to the formation of my identity as an adult. I have experienced both sources of power and those of vulnerability. Notably, my biggest oppression came from the society where I grew up – the long-held traditions, family expectations, religious suppression, conservative views, and personal guilt. My biggest source of vulnerability in that context is that I am gay. It is not accepted by either my family, my ethnic community or tradition, or my religion. I am also a gay African man, that fact presents its own set of challenges. According to Meem et al., an experience of a gay black man “assumes complexities and nuances that are intrinsic to how this culture understands and constructs both race and sexuality” (p.188). While being African where the majority of the population is black in Kenya, and African American in the United States are different experiences, the innate factor of being LGBTQ+ while black is also a challenging concept.
The intersectional stigma that occurs at different levels of influence (such as community, structural, or interpersonal) is based on co-occurring and intersecting identities. For example, black men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by HIV infection compared to other races, despite reporting consistently having fewer partners and even low-risk behaviors. However, half of black gay men are expected to acquire HIV at some point in their sexual lives, compared to 25% Hispanic and 9% white. That disparity stems from a much lower uptake of PrEP use, with 11% in black men, compared to 69% white men. That lower PrEP uptake is attributed to intersectional stigma that creates discrimination based on the multiple identities in areas such as healthcare, counseling, sexual education, and socioeconomic opportunities to access protection or medicines (Samuel). Therefore, my major points of vulnerability that have contributed to my identity in intersectionality are:
ethnicity/race as an African black individual, an inherent stigma that carries across the world, as I am not only black but part of the Kenyan tradition, which also does not necessarily fit with the traditional African American culture in the US;
my sexual orientation as gay that I had to suppress for more than a decade for my own safety, and could only learn about it and understand my sexuality based on the rare materials and testimonies I could find;
social isolation since I was essentially always different from my peers in Kenya, and once coming out in America, many of the deeply ingrained connections with my family, friends, and community were severed because of their lack of acceptance.
However, there are also elements of my identity that serve as sources of power, which have helped me tremendously on my path to becoming a strong, independent, and openly gay man in an environment where I feel safe. My ability played a role, as I have always been strong and could stand up for myself, giving me confidence and some security. I am also a male, which in Kenyan society especially, does have intrinsic social benefits as I was provided more opportunities for education and jobs that eventually allowed me to immigrate to the US. That is something that a female is less likely to have in Kenya without first marrying a successful husband. I also have strong psychological resources, with my life experience giving me the ability to cope with challenges and maintain stability even in the most difficult moments. These points of power and privilege have contributed to my identity and achievements, which in turn, allowed me to explore my sexual identity fully and come out as gay once in America.
Works Cited
Meem, Deborah T., et al. Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBTQ Studies. 3rd Edition, Sage Publications, 2017.
Samuel, Krishen. “Being Black and Gay: How Intersectional Stigma Impacts on the Uptake of PrEP.” Aidsmap, Web.
Sex Education. Created by Laurie Nunn, Netflix, 2019-present.