"Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how a person's various social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege."
The idea that individuals experience various forms of oppression and discrimination based on their intersecting identities, such as race, gender, and sexuality.
Intersectionality Theory: This is the core concept that explains how interconnected social identities can affect an individual's experiences and their relationship to institutional power structures. Intersectionality posits that identities such as race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and others intersect to create unique social experiences and oppressions for individuals with multiple marginalized identities.
Social Justice: The pursuit of a just and equitable society that is free of discrimination and oppression towards marginalized groups.
Oppression: The systematic and institutional mistreatment of a group of people based on their identity or social position.
Power Structures: The systems and institutions that distribute power, privilege, and resources in a society.
Privilege: A right or advantage granted to an individual or group solely based on their social position or identity.
Marginalization: The exclusion or isolation of a group of people from mainstream society due to their identity or social position.
Social Constructs: The social structures and ideologies that are created and reinforced by society and impact individuals' experiences.
Gender Identity: An individual's internal sense of their gender, which may or may not align with the gender they were assigned at birth.
Sexuality: An individual's emotional and physical attraction to others, which can be influenced by their gender identity.
Race: A social construct based on physical characteristics and cultural markers that are used to categorize individuals and groups.
Class: A social and economic hierarchy that describes a person's level of income, wealth, and socio-economic status.
Ableism: Discrimination against individuals with disabilities or those perceived to have disabilities.
Inclusion: The active and intentional effort to create a welcoming and accepting environment that values and embraces diversity.
Diversity: The presence of different identities, experiences, and cultures within a society or community.
Allyship: Supporting and advocating for marginalized groups as a person who holds privileged identities.
Microaggressions: Everyday verbal or nonverbal communications that convey derogatory or negative attitudes toward individuals based on their identity.
Systemic Racism: Racism that is perpetuated by the systems and institutions of a society, including laws, policies, and societal norms.
Intersectional Feminism: A feminist perspective that acknowledges the interconnected nature of oppression and discrimination based on multiple marginalized identities.
Impact vs Intent: The difference between the intended message and the actual impact of a communication or action, particularly in relation to privilege and power dynamics.
Transphobia: The fear or hatred of transgender individuals and the discrimination and violence they often face due to their gender identity.
Cisgender: A term used to describe individuals whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Pronouns: The words used to refer to a person, which may vary depending on their gender identity and pronoun preference.
Non-Binary: An umbrella term used to describe individuals who do not identify exclusively as masculine or feminine, but may identify as both, neither, or another gender altogether.
Queer: A term used to describe individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, which can also be used as an umbrella term for those who do not identify as straight or cisgender.
Heteronormativity: The assumption that everyone is straight and cisgender, and the societal expectations and norms that result from this assumption.
"Examples of these factors include gender, caste, sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, disability, weight, and physical appearance."
"These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing."
"Intersectional feminism aims to separate itself from white feminism by acknowledging women's differing experiences and identities."
"The term intersectionality was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989."
"Intersectionality opposes analytical systems that treat each axis of oppression in isolation."
"In this framework, for instance, discrimination against black women cannot be explained as a simple combination of misogyny and racism, but as something more complicated."
"Intersectionality engages in similar themes as triple oppression, which is the oppression associated with being a poor or immigrant woman of color."
"Criticism includes the framework's tendency to reduce individuals to specific demographic factors, and its use as an ideological tool against other feminist theories."
"Critics have characterized the framework as ambiguous and lacking defined goals."
"As it is based in standpoint theory, critics say the focus on subjective experiences can lead to contradictions and the inability to identify common causes of oppression."
"However, little good-quality quantitative research has been done to support or undermine the theory of intersectionality."
"An analysis of academic articles published through December 2019 found that there are no widely adopted quantitative methods to investigate research questions informed by intersectionality."
"The analysis ... provided recommendations on analytic best practices for future research."
"An analysis of academic articles published through May 2020 found that intersectionality is frequently misunderstood when bridging theory into quantitative methodology."
"In 2022, a quantitative approach to intersectionality was proposed based on information theory, specifically synergistic information."
"In this framing, intersectionality is identified with the information about some outcome (e.g. income, etc.) that can only be learned when multiple identities (e.g. race and sex) are known together."
"Intersectionality is identified with the information about some outcome [...] that can [...] not [be] extractable from analysis of the individual identities considered separately."
"Critics [argue] the inability to identify common causes of oppression."
"Intersectionality broadens the scope of the first and second waves of feminism, [...] to include the different experiences of women of color, poor women, immigrant women, and other groups."