Intersectionality of identities and categories refers to the consideration of the multiplicity of categories or identities to which an individual can refer, based on the principle that these identities are interacting, interdependent, mutually reinforcing, and that they bring out a specific identity profile, which cannot be reduced to the sum of its components.
This approach allows to study situations in which there are multiple levels of social injustice. In addition, it brings a new point of view on groups and in particular, on endogroup homogeneity. Indeed, the intersectional approach makes it possible to see how the social structure determines differently the fate of individuals belonging to the same endogroup.
It’s opposed to the differential approach of identities and categories, where the different identities to which individuals can refer are independent of each other and can be treated as such. Intersectionality was born to compensate for the flaws of the differential approach. In fact, Kimberle Crenshaw, law professor and social theorist, came with the concept of intersection after reading about the case of Emma DeGraffenreid. Mrs DeGraffenreid was a black woman who filed a complaint for discrimination, but it was dismissed by a judge because the employer employed black people and women. In this case, the black people were all men and the women were all white. Mrs DeGraffenreid was facing double discrimination, but there were no words to describe it.
Besides, the intersectionality of identities is mainly used to talk about the sexism and racism experienced by african-american women; witch, during the feminist revolution, was not taken into account in feminist discourses at the time. Crenshaw then defined intersectionality as “a prism for seeing how various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other”.
In her recent Ted Talk, Mrs Crenshaw talked about the issues of black women killed by the police, women’s names are less known than men’s names. This refers to two issues : police violence and violence against women. Moreover, this double form of social injustice is also illustrated by the fate of indigenous women. Indeed, there are more than 5000 cases of murder and missing indigenous women in the US and Canada, and 95% of them get zero media coverage.
Furthermore, this approach allows other questions, it’s not “what do you experience as a woman” or “what do you experience as a person of color” anymore, but “what do you experience as a woman of color”. For example, like we saw with the case of Mrs DeGraffenreid, women of color are not treated like white women, for example, in the USA, African American women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die during childbirth than white American.
Finally, intersectionality also could lead to the “convergence of struggles”. It happens when a large part of the population finds itself in another cause and says that they are fighting for it, without being affected by the same problems. It can lead to combining two causes together, or for a minority group to fight for another, for example, the LGBTQ+ community fighting for the minors in 1980. The Daniel Quasar’s flag can also show it for the LGBTQ+ community, with pink and pale blue stripes for trans lives and black and brown stripes for POC LGBTQ+ lives, and also a tribute to Marsha P. Johnson, a transwomen of color who started the stonewall riots.
References :
– Ted Talk : Kimberle Crenshaw (great but be careful at the end the images are violent).
– Movie : Pride.
– Search on google : Breonna Taylor, Marsha P. Johnson, Stonewall riots, MMIW (murder and missing indigenous women), Serena Williams childbirth.