What is Intersectionality?

Apr 2, 2022

content warning: racism, sexism

Intersectionality is an approach to feminism that recognizes the inherent interconnectedness of identities both on an individual and systemic level.

On an individual level... All of your varying identities cannot be separated or observed alone, because you are always all of your identities. If you are a Black trans woman, you experience being Black, being trans, and being a woman simultaneously. Identities are not experienced alone but together and overlapping.

On a systemic level... Categorizing and defining groups of people using one identity category is insufficient and often harmful. You can't say that all indigenous people have the same experiences because other identities like specific ethnicity or sexual orientation can bring more difference and nuance to each indigenous person's experiences.

The term, intersectionality, was coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a Law professor and civil rights advocate and theorist, in a paper analyzing Black women's unique experience being both Black and women. The term has since been broadened in its application to recognize a variety of intersections of identities.

"Because women of color experience racism in ways not always the same as those experienced by men of color and sexism in ways not always parallel to experiences of white women, antiracism and feminism are limited, even on their own terms." (Crenshaw, Mapping the Margins, p. 1252)

When you hear the term "intersectional," it might be used to describe "intersectional feminism" to reference a particular approach to feminism that prioritizes an intersectional perspective both in theory and practice.

Examples...

Your friend, Amobi, is Black and his parents are immigrants from Nigeria. At age 32 he develops a genetic condition and uses a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. His family is rich and he has never struggled financially. Using an intersectional approach, we can see that your friend has identities of privilege (being in the upper socioeconomic class and a man) and identities of marginalization (being a person with a disability and being Black). To recognize Amobi fully, we cannot simply think of him as Black, or just as having a disability. We must look holistically at his multiple identities and how they fit into a larger social context.

Your roommate, Elizabeth, is venting to you about a recent frustration. She is Mexican, and when she hangs out with her Mexican friends who are men, some of them tell misogynistic jokes and make microaggressions. When she attends the monthly meeting for her job's feminism interest group, they are more concerned with gender at large and rarely recognize or address the difference in experience that she and other women of color have compared to the white women in the group. Because her ethnic identity and gender identity are interconnected, it can be difficult to navigate spaces and conversations that don't reflect and/or recognize the intersectionality of her identities.

Related terms & concepts...

Misogynoir

"Misogynoir is a term coined by queer Black feminist professor Moya Bailey to describe the specific misogyny directed toward Black women in American visual and popular culture because of their race and gender." (Mikki Kendall, Hood Feminism, p. 88)

Questions to ask yourself...

Whose voice isn't being heard?
How does this effect people with different identities?
Have I looked at this through different lenses (ex: socioeconomic classes, trans rights, immigrant rights, etc.)?