What is intersectionality?
What is Intersectionality? Exploring Its Role in Addressing Oppression
Intersectionality is a term brought forward by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 to highlight and attempt to dismantle the experiences of oppression and marginalization by different groups in society. Intersectionality describes how overlapping social identities, such as ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and socioeconomic status (to name but a very few) interact to create unique experiences of both oppression and privilege (Crenshaw, 1989). It is more than a one-dimensional approach to understanding people’s experiences in society e.g. not just the groups or categories we belong to, but how they interact in power relationships. For example, Black feminists like Frances Beale highlighted "double jeopardy" in the 1960s to describe the compounded oppression faced by Black women (Yuval-Davis, 2011). It was not just being Black + being a woman as separate categories, but being a Black woman as a whole interplaying identity. This multidimensional perspective is a cornerstone to uncover systemic injustices, and how we are best placed to challenge them.
Case Studies: Real-World Examples of Intersectional Reflection in Practice
Indigenous Oral Health Inequities in Australia
A study conducted in South Australia analysed the intersectional effects of racism and negative life events on Indigenous Australians' oral health. What emerged in these findings was that intersecting oppressions exacerbated oral health issues, with individuals who experienced both racism and life adversities reporting significantly poorer health outcomes (Jamieson et al., 2023).
Experiences of Aboriginal Carers in Australia
The research explored how Aboriginal carers of children with disabilities navigated systemic oppression in health, education, and social services. Carers frequently face barriers such as cultural stereotypes, racism, and economic challenges, emphasizing the intersectional oppression they endure. Which would again impact positive outcomes for wellbeing (Green et al., 2018).
Challenges in Applying Intersectionality: Identifying and Overcoming Barriers
Despite its transformative potential, intersectionality faces challenges:
Conceptual Ambiguity: The term's broad application risks diluting its effectiveness. With intersectionality becoming ‘mainstream’ the word has lost some of it’s intending original meaning. However, this is often what happens with traveling theories that cross into other scholarly fields (Carastathis, 2014).
Institutional Resistance: Organisations often struggle to operationalise intersectional insights, with pre-existing structures hindering meaningful change People and organisations in positions of power are reluctant to make changes that could impact the status quo and their position of influence and instead are happy to continue the systemic forms of oppression (Lépinard, 2014).
Overcoming these barriers requires critical reflection on the individual, group and organisational power dynamics, and a commitment from everyone to change them. A lofty dream, I know. But I have hope.
Intersectionality in Action: Practical Steps for Critical Reflection on Power Dynamics
Institutional Audits: Regularly assess how policies and practices address intersecting inequalities. How do you benefit and are oppressed by these practices?
Community Engagement: Collaborate with marginalised communities to understand and then change the inequalities. This begins with actually listening truly to what communities are saying is best for them.
Intersectional Frameworks in Research: Incorporate methodologies that account for multiple identities, and multiple knowledges. There is more than one way to understand the world, there is more than one truth.
Intersectionality is a vital tool for addressing the complexity of oppression. By acknowledging the interconnectedness of social identities, we can better understand and dismantle the structures of power that perpetuate inequality. The important step is to act on what we know to improve people’s lives and experiences.
Articles:
Carastathis, A. (2014). The concept of intersectionality in feminist theory. Philosophy Compass, 9(5), 304–314.
Crenshaw, K. W. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167
Green, A., Abbott, P., Davidson, P., Delaney, P., Delaney, J., Patradoon-Ho, P., & DiGiacomo, M. (2018). Interacting with providers: An intersectional exploration of the experiences of carers of Aboriginal children with a disability. Qualitative Health Research, 28(12), 1923–1932.
Jamieson, L., Ju, X., Haag, D., Ribeiro, P., Soares, G., & Hedges, J. (2023). An intersectionality approach to Indigenous oral health inequities; the super-additive impacts of racism and negative life events. PLOS ONE, 18.
Lépinard, É. (2014). Doing intersectionality. Gender & Society, 28(6), 877–903.
Yuval-Davis, N. (2011). The politics of belonging: Intersectional contestations. SAGE Publications.
