inter

sept 20, 2012current issues in sociology

jessica asmus + aleah jaeger + spencer wharton

sectionality

noun (pl.)1. formal statements of

the meanings of words or phrases

def·i·ni·tions

strand

category

noun1. an axis of identity (e.g.

race, gender)

noun1. an axis of identity (e.g.

race, gender)

projectnoun1. a site of political alliances and

coalitions; a movement

stabilitynoun1. a measure of how rigidly

defined a variable isAntonym: fluidity

intersectionalitynoun1. a methodology of studying the

relationships along multiple axes of identity

huh?

patricia hill collins• Black feminist scholar• author, “learning from the outsider

within” (1986)

Black woman

Black woman=

+

-20 pts.

“[U]nlike white women, they have no

illusions that their whiteness will negate female subordination, and unlike Black men,

they cannot use a questionable appeal to manhood to neutralize

the stigma of being Black.”

Black + woman

Black woman

=

walby, et al.

“Contemporary feminist and anti-racist discourses

have failed to consider intersectional identities

such as women of color”-Kimberlé Crenshaw

McCall identifies three approaches to intersectionality:

• intra-categorical• anti-categorical• inter-categorical

Hancock identifies three approaches to study of difference:

• unitary• multiple

• intersectional

major dilemmas6

politics & structure

are conflated1

don’t forget the

racists2

RIGIDITY/ fluidity 3

what about class?4

aw, dammit.

do we hold the Oppression Olympics?5

says:

all categoriesare equallyimportant

social justiceanalytical standpoint

?

when inequalities

collide6

and now, you act.

walby et al. suggest solutions.

what are they?

estrada & hondagneu-sotelo

“To what extent are [the street vendor youths’]

constructions of identity coping mechanisms?”

-Bao-Tram and Jenna

“Comparing these youth’s non-traditional childhood and growth

into adulthood, how do these children know they have reached

adulthood when they are, to an extent, the breadwinners of their

family? Would they use the “therapeutic model” for their

transformation?”-Heather, Jennifer, and Laetitiah

“Are aspects of the street vendors’ identities being commodified by the authenticity they bring to their food by virtue of being lower class and first or second-generation immigrants?”-Carrie, Katie D., Chloe, and Julia

Estrada and Hondegneu-Sotelo show how it is often the children in disadvantaged families who interact with

institutions on behalf of their parents.

How does this difficulty of

advocating for institutional

recognition relate to Bonilla-Silva’s discussion of

minorities, the media, and audiences?

Christine and

Ami

jones

Does drawing on or highlighting aspects of

one’s identity as a survival skill perpetuate

inequality?

Is it the responsibility of marginalized peoples to act in ways that won’t perpetuate their own marginalization?

Is intersectionality as a concept only relevant to marginalized, oppressed,

or disadvantaged identities?

How does setting affect individuals’ ability to use intersectionality to their advantage?

“Would the results have been different if the study was set in a city with a history of racial

problems like Los Angeles rather than the more progressive San Francisco?”

-Kelsey, Katie M., Karin and Meaghan

We see that Kiara, as a poor Black woman, experiences a fairly fluid identity. What factors contribute to the stability or fluidity of identity in lived experience?

-Carrie, Katie D., Chloe and Julia

that is all.thank you.

photo sources

ripples: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cappuccino_iv/1125296761/thinker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmartin/71654890/curtain: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevec77/2477181497/cube: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soheilk/4438771159/hot dog: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marknye/7699051550/father/son: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13861582@N03/7942540162/in/pool-parent_childvendor: http://www.flickr.com/photos/asmythie/3484083793/radio tower: http://www.flickr.com/photos/philedmonds/6177301721/street girls: http://weber-street-photography.com/2011/01/05/college-girls-2010/pride: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smoel/2730874172/los angeles: http://www.flickr.com/photos/84263554@N00/3120512033/water/rocks: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftymgp/6831901574/photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjgarbutt/5358075251/