"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."
An analysis of how various identities (such as race, class, and sexuality) intersect and impact one's experiences of oppression and privilege.
Identity: Intersectionality is concerned with the overlapping identities an individual may possess, such as gender, race, class, sexuality, and ability, and how these intersect to create unique experiences of oppression and privilege.
Power: Power dynamics are central to intersectionality, as certain identities are privileged over others, resulting in social hierarchies and injustices.
Feminism: Intersectionality is a key tenet of feminist theory and seeks to explore and challenge the ways in which gender inequality intersects with other forms of oppression.
Race: The intersection of race with other identity markers is a key focus of intersectionality, particularly as it relates to experiences of racism and discrimination.
Class: Intersectionality also highlights the impact of social class on individuals, particularly in terms of wealth, income, education, and employment.
Sexuality: The intersection of sexuality with other identities is another focus of intersectionality, examining the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and how their identities intersect with other forms of oppression.
Disability: The intersection of disability with other identity markers is also an important consideration, examining the experiences of disabled individuals who may face systemic barriers and discrimination.
Marginalization: Intersectionality seeks to highlight the experiences of marginalized communities and individuals, and challenges the dominant power structures that perpetuate marginalization.
Privilege: Intersectionality also explores the concept of privilege, and how individuals who possess certain identities may benefit from systemic oppression.
Social justice: Finally, intersectionality is a tool for promoting social justice, focusing attention on the experiences of marginalized communities and advocating for systemic change to address inequality and oppression.
Race Intersectionality: This type of Intersectionality acknowledges that racism is a systemic issue that is deeply ingrained in society and intersects with other forms of oppression.
Gender Intersectionality: Gender Intersectionality examines how gender identity, expression, and experience intersect with other social identities such as race, class, and sexuality.
Class Intersectionality: Class Intersectionality recognizes that social class is a significant factor in how people experience oppression and privilege.
Sexual Orientation Intersectionality: This type of Intersectionality highlights how individuals’ sexual orientation intersects with other social identities, such as race and gender, to create unique experiences of marginalization.
Disability Intersectionality: Disability Intersectionality focuses on how disability intersects with other social identities to create unique experiences of marginalization.
Age Intersectionality: Age Intersectionality examines how age intersects with other social identities such as race and gender to create unique experiences of marginalization and oppression.
Immigration Intersectionality: Immigration Intersectionality examines how the intersection of citizenship and immigration status creates unique experiences of marginalization and oppression.
Religion Intersectionality: Religion Intersectionality highlights how religion intersects with other social identities such as race, gender, and sexuality to create unique experiences of marginalization and oppression.
Body Size Intersectionality: Body Size Intersectionality examines how societal attitudes towards body size intersect with other social identities such as race, class, and gender to create unique experiences of marginalization and oppression.
Nationality Intersectionality: Nationality Intersectionality recognizes how individuals’ nationality intersects with other social identities to create unique experiences of marginalization and oppression.
"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."