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Intersectionality is the theory that multiple
factors, such as race, gender, sexual preference, etc., determine social
inequality. Contrary to the common belief that one identity affects a person’s
social standing alone, each identity is weighted in according to each situation
where one identity might matter more than another. For example, take the case
of black women during the feminist movement of the 1960s; most of the needs in
the feminist movement catered to the needs of middle class white women because
they assumed that a ‘woman’ was a white middle class lady who worked in the
kitchen. The main stream feminist organizations only paid attention to the
assumed ‘normal’ woman, neglecting the fact that women of another race may have
different needs. Even though the movement had good intentions, because the organizations
only focused on the area of gender, not everyone was able to receive equality.
However, if they were to take an approach with keeping in mind
intersectionality, the organizations might have been able to address the issues
that all women face, instead of only the white middle class woman.
"It is not our differences which separate women, but our reluctance to recognize those differences and to deal effectively with the distortions which have resulted from the ignoring and maintaining of those differences" (58)
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I believe Lorde is saying what I said in my
previous point. Many people refuse to acknowledge that in order to achieve
social justice, you must acknowledge all factors of identity. Because the
feminist organizations didn’t acknowledge the differences within their own
community of women, they neglected women with different needs—namely women of
color. For example, main stream feminists wanted the right to work, while women
of color were forced to work and had a different need. Women who wanted to be part of the movement
were not separated because of the differences of black of white, but because
they didn’t acknowledge that the difference of their race entails different
needs. In order to reach social justice, we have to acknowledge all the
differences and try to address all the needs at hand.
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Even though the past examples made in this post were
about women of color, in reality, intersectionality also affects the lives of
men. When applying the theory of intersectionality, men also have advantages
and disadvantages. Although they have the advantage of being a man, other identities,
such as race and sexual preference may serve as either an advantage or disadvantage
in certain situations. For example, in the workforce even though being a male
may be an advantage, being of a different race, such as being black, may cause
your pay to be lower than a male who was white.
Word Count: 451
Hi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteI greatly appreciate how you used the example of the feminist movement- your explanation is so clear! In order to truly get gender justice; we need to see how all of these other factors impact how gender is shaped by race, class, nationality, etc. Keep this analysis in mind when we talk about intersectionality and domestic violence this upcoming week!