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Intersectionality (as a term)

M

Meow Mix

Chatte Féministe
I came across this interesting article by The Guardian (Intersectional-what? Feminism's problem with jargon is that any idiot can pick it up and have a go) about intersectionality as a term, its over- and under-use, and its appropriation by critics of feminism (and other social movements against oppression).

At times I think the author can be a bit harsh, and the point of this post isn't so much to talk about the article (though I encourage reading it!) but rather to ask: what do you think about when you think about intersectionality, and have you seen people using the term in ways you don't agree makes sense?
 
LuisDantas

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Meow Mix said:
what do you think about when you think about intersectionality,
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Depending on the context, either some quality that shows itself to be consistently present across various segments of a certain population or the effort spent to acquire samples that are representative of those segments.

and have you seen people using the term in ways you don't agree makes sense?
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Not out of of the top of my mind.

Edited to add: I have little clue on whether I belong to this area, so I will refrain from further posts.
 
M

Meow Mix

Chatte Féministe
LuisDantas said:
Depending on the context, either some quality that shows itself to be consistently present across various segments of a certain population or the effort spent to acquire samples that are representative of those segments.


Not out of of the top of my mind.

Edited to add: I have little clue on whether I belong to this area, so I will refrain from further posts.
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If you identify comfortably as a feminist, you can post in this area. There's not a strict ideological litmus test other than "don't be a troll" basically. There is a caveat about identifying as an egalitarian and not as a feminist, which I get why that's a rule though it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I know you're not a troll, so if you use the word "feminist" to describe yourself, you're good to go
 
M

Meow Mix

Chatte Féministe
YmirGF said:
I will say right out of the starting gate that I am, most certainly, a "first wave" feminist and a partial "second wave" feminist. That should clear my comment. *crosses fingers*

I have to agree with much of the article on intersectionality, but less so on it's hand wringing over declining Marxist thought. It was odd seeing both concepts so deftly intertwined, and that was a first for me, I have to admit. I do agree that there is "something" to intersectionality, but I was so confused by the usage of the word that I finally had to go all the way back to Crenshaw to get a handle on it. Like the author of the article, I was hopelessly confused by the usage of the term that seemed to spring from nowhere a few years back. It's almost as if it was just some new buzzword that was used to convey practically anything and everything and I can only echo Crenshaw's lament about what has happened to the child of her thinking. But, the gates are open and the horses are charging, so I don't know how their courses can be altered to bring back the original intent of the theory's creator.

Good article, btw. Thanks Ms. Mew.
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There's precedent in feminist literature for some of the handwringing you mention, and though I won't question its use, it's never been that useful to me directly and personally: so I get what you mean there. I think some people will have an interest in it, though, I guess? Anyway, I think you're right that "the gates are open and the horses are charging," though I'm not sure the term should be abandoned to nebulousness and -- worse -- allowed to be appropriated by feminism's critics. How to accomplish that, though, is a good question.
 
icehorse

icehorse

......unaffiliated...... anti-dogmatist
Premium Member
Meow Mix said:
what do you think about when you think about intersectionality
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I'm a fan of the 2nd wave, I have doubts about the 3rd wave.

That said, it makes sense to me that a person has more than one dimension. Where I have trouble with intersectionality is when members of an intersection claim that non-members cannot reason about the intersection in question.
 
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