“I wish my parents would understand that I'm not going through a 'phase' and that my queerness is real. What is intersectionality? But what exactly does this have to do with work? As Audre Lorde puts it, “there is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we do not live single-issue lives.”. A lot of 'taboos' a decade ago - like the LGBTQIA+ community, mental illnesses, colourism and sexism - find their way into daily conversations. Change is a slow but continuous process, for better or worse, and it is we who can decide its pace and direction. She is an artist and is a vocal supporter of queer and trans rights related issues, both online and offline. Intersectionality operates as both the observance and analysis of power imbalances, and the tool by which those power imbalances could be eliminated altogether. I believe that activists of an older generation sometimes have a bit of a God-complex, and seem unwilling to allow younger activists to find their space and voice. Intersectionality is knowing how they work together as we fight for equality. Search for what you want, categories, tags, keywords, authors, events, anything under YourStory, You have more than one identity and it’s hurting you, Wearing double masks and vaccination will help combat the deadly second wave of COVID-19: Dr Ritesh Malik, Here’s when the COVID-19 second wave will peak and what you can do, What if you test positive for COVID-19 in the second wave, Canada to provide $10M to support fight against COVID-19 in India: PM Trudeau, All you need to know about India's COVID-19 vaccination drive, Serum cuts vaccine price for states to Rs 300/dose, Jio Platforms, BYJU's in Time Magazine's first-ever list of 100 most influential companies, Bhutan to provide liquid oxygen to India to help combat COVID-19. So a broad focus on improving things for women may leave out quite a bit of her specific experience. We can not think about misogyny, for example, without thinking about race, class, and sexual orientation. Intersectionality first appeared in professor Kimberlé Crenshaw’s 1989 paper for the University of Chicago Legal Forum. You may have heard of intersectionality - " the theory that the overlap of various social identities, such as race, gender, and sexuality, define your level of systemic oppression " - but don't know how to compare your oppression with others. How do young people in India view equality and intersectionality? But what exactly does this have to do with. – Ardra, 23, is an artist and part-time student of philosophy and graphic design in Bengaluru. Additionally, Anthony’s work extends to Aperian Global’s web-based learning tools. Similarly a focus on supporting black employees may not fully address what she faces daily. Many young people today have more in-depth knowledge about certain subjects that an older group might not necessarily carry. Intersectionality is the framework to describe the phenomenon of being impacted and oppressed by multiple sources, but only treated for one. Kimberle Crenshaw, legal scholar and critical race theorist, is generally credited with originating the term in the late 1980s. Since this is a fairly instantaneous processing, it is often overly simplistic. Intersectionality is simply about how certain aspects of who you are will increase your access to the good things or your exposure to the bad things in life. Intersectionality is central to this culture and has also taken on a life of its own outside it. Simply put, intersectionality is the theory that the overlap of various social identities contributes to the specific type of systemic oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual. Ask others about themselves; what can you ask to respectfully draw out others’ identities? Without young people speaking out against injustice, it’s likely we would still be living under worse circumstances. I think people tend to dismiss our opinions because they believe we don't know what we're talking about, which is absolutely not the case. Often the ways in which we identify ourselves varies drastically from how others identify us. For example, a middle-aged relative of mine was quick to say I lacked 'real-world experience' when I casually mentioned the prevalent colourism in Indian media.”. Set a timer for one minute. My commitment to queer politics, for example, must include systemic and ideological battles against all forms of heteronormativity like gender binaries and the traditional family. Share more about yourself; think back to our opening activity and some of your statements that are important to you, but less known by others. India believes in the age-old tradition of respecting your elders, and any form of dissent is often considered disrespectful. He collaborates with Fortune Global 100 companies in developing highly customized solutions. What is intersectionality?And how does that connect with African American Women and the Struggle for Equality?. Well, our results and experiences in the workplace are a direct result of our own unique identity—and, similarly, we may not even see how others experience the same workplace differently based on their own unique identity. “My parents don’t accept my identity. Our perceptions should not be considered invalid because there is no age limit for the ability and willingness to learn.”. The fight for equality is not and has never been about connecting polar opposites by one string. Set? “Intersectionality” – a word most commonly used in relation to feminism – can be hard to define and easy to abuse. Archaic structures are the root of most problems in society. Intersectionality works through various categories of identity. Understanding intersectionality Definition of intersectionality and how it can lead to overlapping of discrimination and marginalisation. 12 Truth used her own identity as a Black woman to deconstruct the notion that race, ethnicity and gender were mutually exclusive. We’ll call this the “I am…” activity. Before we tackle these two big questions, let’s step back for a simple activity. ‘Intersectionality’ refers to the ways in which different aspects of a person’s identity can expose them to overlapping forms of discrimination and marginalisation. Anthony’s role focuses on instructional design and leading the creation and rollout of global training programs and materials. We spoke to a few of them to understand their thoughts. Intersectionality is a critical framework that provides us with the mindset and language for examining interconnections and interdependencies between social categories and systems. "People are quick to deride young individuals by calling them a 'spoiled child' or a 'sensitive snowflake'. How to use intersectionality in a sentence. Intersectionality is essential in the hiring process because without it, you might believe you are building a more diverse team but still end up with a fairly homogeneous team. There is immense power in young minds that can contribute to something extremely revolutionary and enable future generations to live without the fear of discrimination. More explicitly, the Oxford Dictionary defines intersectionality as “the interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and … Set? Intersectionality is relevant for researchers and for practitioners because it enhances analytical sophistication and offers theoretical explanations of the ways in which heterogeneous members of … Some activists and scholars, however, trace the earliest articulations of Before we tackle these two big questions, let’s step back for a simple activity. ? Intersectionality refers to a way of seeing people's experiences as shaped by their race, class, gender, and sexuality all at the same time. Crenshaw 11 first coined the term intersectionality in 1991; however, the roots of intersectionality can be traced back to Black feminism in the United States, heralded by the Sojourner Truth's “ Ain't I a Woman?” speech in 1851. – Aarushi, 17, is a high school student from Chandigarh and identifies as a queer person. There are also women who are trans, disabled and Dalit, who face a combination of transphobia, ableism and casteism. In this capacity, he focuses on eLearning initiatives and is currently working on developing integrated learning modules on the GlobeSmart platform. Anthony holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in East Asian Studies, with dual minors in Japanese Language & Literature, and Business Administration & Management from Boston University. 30 seconds? . “I don't think a fight for equality is worth anything without intersectionality. This is why there is so much focus on skills like empathy and relationship-building when discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion. How do they perceive these different layers of identities? This stems from the belief that age equals experience and wisdom, and demands respect. Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality draws analytic attention to the fact that no social identity category exists in isolation of others. While young people constantly appeal to the older population to give them a chance and hear them out, they find it challenging to expressing their feelings and thoughts, especially to parents. Intersectionality is the acknowledgement that within groups of people with a common identity, whether it be gender, sexuality, religion, race, or one of the many other defining aspects of identity, there exist intragroup differences. We might look at a colleague—let’s call her “Shawna”—and say “she is a woman” or “she is black” and assume that tells us a lot about her identity. Well, our results and experiences in the workplace are a direct result of our own unique identity—and, similarly, we may not even see how others experience the same workplace differently based on their own unique identity. **Ableism - Ableism is the discrimination or prejudice against people who have disabilities. I know they mean well and are supportive of me, but deep down, through some of their unintentional words and actions, they still wish I were straight.”. “I believe that voices of young people are often trampled or suppressed, and I have experienced it on countless occasions. Dalit women face casteism and sexism. Or will I succumb to what's 'normal' in the eyes of my family just to avoid conflict and make them happy?”. Intersectionality refers to a combination of overlapping identities and can explain how a person can simultaneously experience privilege and oppression, or multiple forms of disadvantage—in Shawna’s case, her experience in the workplace is likely to be quite different than that of colleagues such as Linda (a white female), or that of Keith (a black male). These always affect more than one social group. – Raksh, 15, is a student from Bengaluru who enjoys photography and producing music. Simply put, intersectionality is the theory that the overlap of various social identities contributes to the specific type of systemic oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual. Ready? “If I could make my parents understand one thing, it's that no matter what my gender identity or sexuality is, it will not affect the amount of happiness, success and good health I will receive in life if I have their support. Intersectionality is a framework for conceptualizing a person, group of people, or social problem as affected by a number of discriminations and disadvantages. They identify as genderfluid and pansexual. A “one-size-fits-all” approach often falls short of creating true equity, especially for the most disadvantaged among us. 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