"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."
This topic explores the various forms of oppression and marginalization that individuals experience as a result of their intersecting identities and the impact of these experiences on their lives.
Privilege: This topic discusses the benefits that certain groups (such as white, male, able-bodied, cisgender) have in society due to their identity. Understanding privilege is essential to understanding how oppression and marginalization work.
Discrimination: Discrimination occurs when individuals are treated unfairly or less favorably based on their identity, such as race, gender, or sexual orientation. This topic covers the types of discrimination and the impact it has on individuals and groups.
Stereotyping: Stereotyping occurs when assumptions are made based on someone's identity. This topic covers the impact of stereotyping and the ways in which it can perpetuate oppression and marginalization.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is the understanding of how different identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and more, intersect and affect individuals in different ways. This topic covers the importance of acknowledging intersectionality when discussing oppression and marginalization.
Microaggressions: Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional, behaviors or comments that communicate negative messages to individuals based on their identity. This topic covers types of microaggressions and their impact.
Systemic oppression: Systemic oppression occurs when a whole system, such as the legal or educational system, is set up in a way that disadvantages certain groups of people based on their identity. This topic covers the ways in which systemic oppression operates and the ways in which it can be challenged.
Historical marginalization: Historical marginalization is the understanding of how certain groups have been marginalized throughout history, such as Indigenous peoples, Black individuals, and LGBTQ+ individuals. This topic covers the impact of historical marginalization and the ways in which it continues to have an impact.
Allyship: Allyship is the active, ongoing process of standing in solidarity with and supporting marginalized individuals and groups. This topic covers the importance of allyship and the ways in which individuals can become allies.
Implicit Bias: Implicit bias is the unconscious attitudes and beliefs that individuals hold about certain groups of people. This topic covers the impact of implicit bias and the ways in which it can perpetuate oppression and marginalization.
Intersectional feminism: Intersectional feminism is the understanding that feminism must include the experiences and perspectives of individuals from different identities and backgrounds. This topic covers the importance of intersectional feminism and its impact on addressing oppression and marginalization.
Racism: This refers to the unequal treatment of people based on their race, ethnicity or national origin.
Sexism: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their sex or gender.
Homophobia: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Ableism: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals with disabilities.
Classism: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their socioeconomic class.
Ageism: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their age.
Transphobia: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their gender identity or expression.
Xenophobia: This refers to the fear, hatred or prejudice towards foreigners or people from different cultures.
Religious discrimination: This refers to the prejudice or unequal treatment of individuals based on their religion.
Colorism: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on the shade or tone of their skin.
"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."