Intersectionality


 * Definition**

The term intersectionality is made up of four parts, the root word “intersect” and three suffixes “ion”, “al,” and “ity.” Intersect comes from the Latin word “intersecare” which means to cut asunder. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (2012), the word “intersect” appeared in the early 1600s and usage continued throughout the 1700s and the 1800s. The OED lists multiple definitions of intersect, however most refer to the act of division by passing through of lying across. Although rare, the OED definition of intersect that says, “to come across, cross (another person, or his course; to intercept)” is significant to the examination intersectionality and communication studies because it serves as an entryway to the construction of intersectionality as a social and feminist theory.


 * Prominent Scholars Associated with Intersectionality**

Feminist scholars are at the forefront of intersectional research and have embraced the theory more than any other academic disciplines (McCall, 2005). Legal scholar, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in the late 1980s. Patricia Hill Collins, sociologist and author of //Black Feminist Thought// (2008)//,// expanded on intersectionality by introducing the matrix of domination, which focuses on the arrangement and power structures in society. Marilyn Frye’s birdcage metaphor, explains interlocking oppressions based on race, gender, and class. Chicana feminist Gloria Anzaldúa, (2007) embraced intersectionality in her description of the cultural borderlands, a space where her Mexican, Texan, female, lesbian identity intersects to form her mestiza or mixed and intersectional identity. Research on intersectionality has continued beyond these works and continues to flourish in the early 21st century.


 * The Focus of Intersectionality**

Intersectionality is a response to black feminist concerns of marginalization within white feminist and anti-racist movements of the late 20th century. According to Levine-Rasky (2011), The Combahee River Collective began to formalize theories of intersectionality in 1977 when they wrote their statement calling for a politics that addressed issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation. Intersectionality is important, according to Crenshaw (1989), because a “single-axis framework erases Black women in the conceptualization, identification, and radiation of race and sex discrimination by limiting inquiry to the experiences of otherwise privileged members of the group” (p. 140). The purpose of intersectionality is to construct theory based on the lived experiences of African American women by acknowledging the interlocking parts of one’s identity in order to show how those parts create a unique experience of marginalization. McCall (2005), claims, “the intersection of identities takes place through the articulation of a single dimension of each category” (p.1781).


 * Researching Intersectionality**

It is difficult to research intersectionality because of the multiple different ways identity constructs can and do intersect. According Marilyn Frye (1983), the intersection of identities contributes to a network of oppression that contributes to social inequalities. While there are a number of different ways identities intersect, Crenshaw (1991) argues for three distinct types of intersectionality that influence the social and political experiences of women of color: (1) structural intersectionality, (2) political intersectionality, and (3) representational intersectionality. First, structural intersectionality refers to the intersection of experiences women of color have within political and social systems. Crenshaw (1991) claims when services designed to help women with problems such as domestic violence and rape do not take into consideration other identity characteristics, such as race, class, and immigration or English-speaking status these services do not live up to their mission of serving women. Second, political intersectionality refers to the fact that women of color are usually situated between the conflicting political issues of race and gender. Political intersectionality is a problem for women of color because typically the politics of race and the politics of gender are generally inadequate in serving the political needs of women of color. Finally, representational intersectionality focuses on the ways in which the representation of race and gender serves to devalue women of color within popular culture.

Although intersectionality is a popular theory within feminist and women’s studies, it is impossible to create an exhaustive list of ways identity constructs (McCall, 2005). When research has to take into consideration “the multiple dimensions of social life and categories of analysis” (McCall, 2005 p. 1772) it becomes difficult to determine appropriate methods for examining intersectionality. In her article, McCall outlines three complexities of intersectional research: anticategorical, intercategorical, and intracategorical. These three complexities highlight ways researchers can approach the study of intersectionality. The first complexity, anticategorical, deconstructs categories by implying that they are social fictions. The second complexity, intercategorical, requires researchers to adopt existing social categories in order to determine how these categories are use to signify unequal power relationships. Finally, the last complexity, intracategorical falls between anticategorical and intercategorical complexities. Researchers using this framework tend to view social categories as “misleading constructs that do not readily allow for the diversity and heterogeneity of experience” (Mcall, 2005 p. 1783).


 * Criticisms of Intersectionality**

Intersectionality theories do not exist without criticism. Since intersectionality generally focuses on marginalized identities, scholars such as Levine-Rasky (2011) question if the theory can be expanded to include intersections of dominant identity constructs such as whiteness, masculinity, and economic privilege. If intersectionality theories begin to focus on more on the intersection of dominant identity constructs, Levine-Rasky (2011) claims researchers can get a better understanding of power relations. The multiplier effect of identities associated with intersectionality is also a source of criticism. Identity and intersectionality scholars are concerned that simply adding different intersectional identity constructs will conflate subjects lived experiences and prevent an in depth and complex examination of power structures.

Written by Kerry Wilson (July 2012).

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 * References**

Al (2012). In //Oxford English dictionary.// Retrieved from [|http://www.oed.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/view/Entry/4478?rskey=0JtUPE&result=6&isAdvanced=false#eid]

Anzaldúa, G. (2007). //Borderlands/ la frontera : The new mestiza// (3 ed.) San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books

Collins, P. H. (2008). //Black feminist thought : Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment// (2, reprint ed.) New York: Routledge

Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. //The University of Chicago Legal Forum//, 1989, 139-167

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. //Stanford Law Review//, //43//(6), 1241-1299. Retrieved from []

Frye, M. (1983). //The politics of reality : Essays in feminist theory// (illustrated ed.) Trumansburg, N.Y.: Ten Speed Press

Ion (2012). In //Oxford English dictionary.// Retrieved from http://www.oed.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/view/Entry/99307?rskey=e5JBia&result=2#eid

Ity (2012) In //Oxford English dictionary.// Retrieved from []

Intersect (2012). In //Oxford English dictionary.// Retrieved from [|http://www.oed.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/view/Entry/98296?rskey=chBHv1&result=2&isAdvanced=false#eid]

Levine-Rasky, C. (2011). Intersectionality theory applied to whiteness and middle-classness. //Social Identities//, 17(2), 239-253

McCall, L. (2005). The complexity of intersectionality. //Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society//, 30(3), 1771-1800. doi:0097-9740/2005/3003-0003