The term "Intersectionality" is described and interpreted differently depending on where you look.
Select any of the following sources to read their definition of Intersectionality.
[[Consult Merriam-Webster, an academic english dictionary->Merriam Webster Definition]]
[[Consult Google, a popular search engine and data aggregator->Google Definition]]
[[Consult Wikipedia, an online wealth of crowdsourced information->Wikipedia Definition]]
[[Consult Kimberle Crenshaw, the writer credited with creating the term->Crenshaw Definition]]
[[Consult Prager U, a pseudo-intellectual conservative propaganda institution->Prager U Definition]]
[[Consult Twitter, a vast social media platform->Twitter Definition]]Merriam Webster
"Intersectionality"
The complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersectespecially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.
[[I'm satisfied with this definition of Intersectionality. Let's move on to the implications of Intersectionality in our modern world.->Implications of Intersectionality]]
[[Click Here to Return to the Overview of Intersectionality Definitions->Definitions of Intersectionality]]Google
"Intersectionality"
The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
[[I'm satisfied with this definition of Intersectionality. Let's move on to the implications of Intersectionality in our modern world.->Implications of Intersectionality]]
[[Click Here to Return to the Overview of Intersectionality Definitions->Definitions of Intersectionality]]Wikipedia
"Intersectionality"
"Intersectionality" represents an analytic framework that attempts to identify how interlocking systems of power impact those who are most marginalized in society. Intersectionality considers that various forms of social stratification, such as class, race, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, disability and gender, do not exist separately from each other but are woven together.
[[I'm satisfied with this definition of Intersectionality. Let's move on to the implications of Intersectionality in our modern world.->Implications of Intersectionality]]
[[Click Here to Return to the Overview of Intersectionality Definitions->Definitions of Intersectionality]]Kimberlé Crenshaw
"Intersectionality"
Intersectionality is just a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that often are not understood within conventional ways of thinking about anti-racism or feminism or whatever social justice advocacy structures we have. Intersectionality isn't so much a grand theory as it's a prism for understanding certain kinds of problems.
[[I'm satisfied with this definition of Intersectionality. Let's move on to the implications of Intersectionality in our modern world.->Implications of Intersectionality]]
[[Click Here to Return to the Overview of Intersectionality Definitions->Definitions of Intersectionality]]Prager U
"Intersectionality"
Intersectionality is a form of identity politics in which the value of your opinion depends on how many victim groups you belong to. At the bottom of the totem pole is the person everybody loves to hate—the straight, white male.
[[I'm satisfied with this definition of Intersectionality. Let's move on to the implications of Intersectionality in our modern world.->Implications of Intersectionality]]
[[Click Here to Return to the Overview of Intersectionality Definitions->Definitions of Intersectionality]]Twitter
"Intersectionality"
Intersectionality is cancer
- @FrankelJeremy
Intersectionality means that any act that destabilizes the country is good (if you hate the USA).
- @TedVanBogaert
Intersectinality is a form of racism
- @NateVicens
[[I'm satisfied with these definitions of Intersectionality. Let's move on to the implications of Intersectionality in our modern world.->Implications of Intersectionality]]
[[Click Here to Return to the Overview of Intersectionality Definitions->Definitions of Intersectionality]]Kimberlé Crenshaw, the writer responsible for coining the term "intersectionality," tells us that adjusting movements for social change to be intersectional is a necessary and urgent step to take before any legitimate progress can be made.
To understand Crenshaw's analysis, it is critical to also understand the following:
First, that members of multiple marginalized groups face discrimination that is "greater than the sum of its parts." That is, to understand the daily injustices faced by a black member of the LGBTQ+ community, it is not adequate to consider only the experiences of black people and of the LGBTQ+ community. Instead, we should consider the distinct discrimination that individuals who are both Black and members of the LGBTQ+ community face.
Next, that movements for social progress must represent the experiences and perspectives of all of the members that share an identity with those whose identities that movement is advocating for. Historically, social movements have excluded the most disadvantaged members of the community they claim to advocate for. Crenshaw gives early feminists as an example of this phenomenon. Early feminist movements effectively ignored the experiences of black feminists and measured their progress solely on the experiences of white women.
Finally, that when the experiences of all members of a marginalized group are considered in a movement for social progress, the result is a more fruitful movement for everyone. Early feminist movements whose frame of success was limited to white women accomplished very little for the black women they purported to advocate for. On the other hand, a movement for social change is more effective and will yield better results when its members are appropriately represented and when all members play an active role in collectively advancing the movement.
With this in mind, you may now choose to investigate either the History of Intersectionality or the Future of Intersectionality. To proceed, select one of the options below.
[[The History of Intersectionality->The History of Intersectionality]]
[[The Future of Intersectionality->The Future of Intersectionality]] In her original work establishing the idea of intersectionality, Kimberlé Crenshaw discussed the history of Feminist movements in America. She described them as being exclusive toward non-white women. It is widely accepted that early feminism in America disproportionately represented the interests of white women and ignored other (notably more disadvantaged) women.
In her piece, Crenshaw details the experiences of Sojourner Truth at a feminist rally in Ohio in 1851. She writes:
"In 1851, Sojourner Truth declared "Ain't I a Woman?" and challenged the sexist imagery used by male critics, to justify the disenfranchisement of women." The scene was a Women's Rights Conference in Akron, Ohio; white male hecklers, invoking stereotypical images of "womanhood," argued that women were too frail and delicate to take on the responsibilities of political activity. When Sojourner Truth rose to speak, many white women urged that she be silenced, fearing that she would divert attention from women's suffrage to emancipation. Truth, once permitted to speak, recounted the horrors of slavery, and its particular impact on Black women:
Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted and gathered into barns, and no man could head me-and ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man-when I could get it-and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have born thirteen children, and seen most of 'em sold into slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me-and ain't I a woman?
By using her own life to reveal the contradiction between the ideological myths of womanhood and the reality of Black women's experience, Truth's oratory provided a powerful rebuttal to the claim that women were categorically weaker than men. Yet Truth's personal challenge to the coherence of the cult of true womanhood was useful only to the extent that white women were willing to reject the racist attempts to rationalize the contradiction-that because Black women were something less than real women, their experiences had no bearing on true womanhood. Thus, this 19th-century Black feminist challenged not only patriarchy, but she also challenged white feminists wishing to embrace Black women's history to relinquish their vestedness in whiteness."
The reluctance of the white feminists to accept Sojourner Truth and her ideas is a perfect example of early feminists excluding black people. Early feminist movements claimed to advocate for the rights of all women, or even to represent all women. These feminists couldn’t possibly advocate for all women, though, because their only members were upper middle-class white women. Without the representation of these marginalized groups and their experiences, these early movements truly only empowered white women.
[[Understanding historical feminist movements is critical to understanding Intersectionality. Click here to learn more about feminism throughout modern history.->Stages of Feminism]]A truly Intersectional movement for social change is one that considers the experiences of all of its members and sets a frame for progress accordingly. Intersectionality in our movements for social progress is not just a goal we should strive for, it's a modern necessity. We have made the mistake of excluding people from social movements in the past, but these shortcomings are no longer acceptable. In the time since Kimberlé Crenshaw published her first piece on Intersectionality, we've seen some aspects of our society change, and many remain the same. Many of the principles outlined by Crenshaw in her work are just as applicable today as they were when she published her first work 30 years ago.
Recently, Crenshaw has shifted her focus to police brutality against black women. She gave a TED talk on this very topic where she highlighted media coverage of police brutality deaths among women and men. She pointed out that the murder of black women by law enforcement officials rarely becomes a widely publicized story in the mainstream media, and that these killings almost never become national storylines.
[[Not everyone understands Intersectionality as clearly, though. Click here for information on criticisms and misinterpretations of Intersectionality.->Misinterpretations of intersectionality]]The Feminist movement is often separated into three (and sometimes four) "waves," each operating with distinct focuses and goals
The first wave of feminism began in the mid-19th century, and sought the enfranchisement of women. First-wave feminism facilitated the ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted women in the U.S. the right to vote. First-wave feminism is broadly criticized for being exclusive to minorities. The first suffragettes created a movement for and by white women in America. The lack of diversity in the movement meant that non-white women stood to gain far less than the middle-class white women that dominated the movement.
The second wave of feminism began somewhere in the 1960s. This iteration of the movement was focused on moving toward equality in the workplace and for reproductive rights. It also began to introduce discussions of sexuality and gender roles. Feminists from this era are sometimes categorized as either "Equal Rights Feminists" or "Radical Feminists," where Equal Rights feminists sought equality in the workplace and in the home while Radical Feminists hoped to completely uproot the patriarchal roots our society is built on. Second-wave feminists are credited with helping to create the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the passing of Title IX, the expansion of divorce rights, an increase in the number of women running for political office, and the Roe v. Wade decision.
The third wave of feminism began in the early 1990s as a reaction to the shortcomings and failures of second-wave feminism. Third-wave feminists seek to address the flaws of second-wave feminism and to eliminate the inequalities that still remain. Third-wave feminism is often characterized by its academic influences and introduction of postmodernism and queer theory. Third-wave feminism helped create a more language-conscious dialogue on feminism and in general aimed to establish a more inclusive discussion of women's rights.
More recently, the idea of a fourth wave of feminism has arisen. Those who believe we are currently witnessing the fourth wave of feminism tell us that the distinction between the Third and Fourth waves of feminism lies in the use of mass media, and particularly the internet, to promote feminist ideas.
[[Now that you have a strong foundation for understanding the History of Intersectionality, click here to investigate some of the modern implications of Intersectionality.->The Future of Intersectionality]]
[[There's a lot of information here, but what's the big deal? Where do you come in?->Conclusion]]
//Only visit the link above once you've read about both the 'Past' and 'Future' of Intersectionality.//
As the idea of Intersectionality has become more widely accepted, it has also provoked outrage and inspired a group of opponents whose misunderstanding of the premise has led them to become vocal opponents of both the term and the idea of intersectionality. The movement for intersectionality has drawn criticism from a large number of conservatives, who often claim that intersectionality is unnecessary or somehow counter-productive. Often, these arguments follow a line of reasoning similar to the idea of “reverse racism,” and to all of those movements whose ultimate conclusion is that the most oppressed people in our society are cis-gendered, straight, white, Christian males. Obviously, this is a ridiculous idea. Much of Crenshaw's work is dedicated to showing why inclusion is necessary in movements for social change. Just a few years ago, Kimberlé Crenshaw published an article in the Washington Post titled "Why Intersectionality Can't Wait." In the piece, Crenshaw addresses some of the most popular criticisms of Intersectionality. She writes:
"Conservatives have painted those who practice intersectionality as obsessed with “identity politics.” Of course, as the DeGraffenreid case shows, intersectionality is not just about identities but about the institutions that use identity to exclude and privilege. The better we understand how identities and power work together from one context to another, the less likely our movements for change are to fracture.
Others accuse intersectionality of being too theoretical, of being “all talk and no action.” To that I say we’ve been “talking” about racial equality since the era of slavery and we’re still not even close to realizing it. Instead of blaming the voices that highlight problems, we need to examine the structures of power that so successfully resist change.
Some have argued that intersectional understanding creates an atmosphere of bullying and “privilege checking.” Acknowledging privilege is hard — particularly for those who also experience discrimination and exclusion. While white women and men of color also experience discrimination, all too often their experiences are taken as the only point of departure for all conversations about discrimination. Being front and center in conversations about racism or sexism is a complicated privilege that is often hard to see."
[[Now that you have a strong foundation for understanding the modern implications of Intersectionality, click here for some historical context.->The History of Intersectionality]]
[[There's a lot of information here, but what's the big deal? Where do you come in?->Conclusion]]
//Only visit the link above once you've read about both the 'Past' and 'Future' of Intersectionality.//
Okay, now what?
First, I would encourage you to do more reading, educate yourself on Intersectionality further, and become more literate in social issues and the structures of oppression in our society. There are a lot of ways to do that, and there are many, many organizations interested in helping you learn about this sort of thing. Unfortunately, there are also many (powerful) people who would rather keep you in the dark and inspire ignorant and divisive thinking across the country. Keep your privilege in mind whenever you're reading or discussing the social issues we face. The status quo is a destructive source of oppression and without radical change the systems of oppression we have in place will continue to make members of the marginalized groups in our country suffer.
I say all of this because the internet (and the media at large) is full of people who want to slow change and maintain the status quo. It is important to be very wary of what you read. A simple google search, although yielding a number of excellent results, can be a minefield of destructive and ignorant thinking. To complicate things, these oppressive ideologies are hidden behind what appear to be trustworthy sources and rational thought. Consider the differences, for example, between the Prager U definition and Kimberlé Crenshaw's. The tone, agenda, and of course content is completely different, and this reflects the differences in understanding and perspective each has of our society. Be mindful of who created the media you consume, and how they want you to see the world.
With all of that said, I'd remind you that a deep understanding of Intersectionality will leave you better equipped to understand oppression in our country and give you a better frame of understanding for social issues. We have a responsiblity to dismantle the injustices and inequities in our society, and for the reasons explained here, Intersectionality will be crucial to our progress.
Like I said, I encourage you to do more reading of your own to further your understanding of Intersectionality and of the systems of oppression in the very fabric of our society today. The links below would be an excellent place to start.
(link: "New Words: Intersectionality - Merriam Webster")[(goto-url: 'https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/intersectionality-meaning')]
(link: "The Urgency of Intersectionality - Kimberlé Crenshaw")[(goto-url: 'https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en')]
(link: "The Origin of the Term 'Intersectionality' - Merrill Perlman, Columbia Journalism Review")[(goto-url: 'https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/intersectionality.php')]
(link: "Why Intersectionality Can't Wait - Kimberlé Crenshaw")[(goto-url: 'https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2015/09/24/why-intersectionality-cant-wait/?utm_term=.278a3fb171ff')]
(link: "What is Intersectionality, and what does it have to do with me? - YW Boston")[(goto-url: 'https://www.ywboston.org/2017/03/what-is-intersectionality-and-what-does-it-have-to-do-with-me/')]