1.3 Intersectionality
Jackie Hendricks; Amy Lueck; Loring Pfeiffer; and Maura Tarnoff
Intersectionality Is…
Now that we’ve explored identity, let’s introduce a key concept that helps us understand how different aspects of our identity intersect to shape our experiences. This concept is called intersectionality. Everybody experiences identity in specific and unique ways, and intersectionality gives us a language or framework for discussing that.
Intersectionality provides a framework for understanding how various aspects of our identity—such as race, gender, class, and sexuality—interact with one another within cultural, political, and historical contexts. These intersections affect how we experience the world, as well as how systems of privilege and oppression impact us differently.
This conception of intersectionality is most often credited to legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, who elaborated on the term in the context of critical legal studies. In a subsequent TED Talk, “The Urgency of Intersectionality,” Crenshaw defines the term for general audiences and makes a case for why it is so crucial to understand. As you watch, take notes on the video as you would for a written text. Use the Says/Does Approach to consider what Crenshaw says and how she chooses to present that information.
Apply It: Summarize
In order to demonstrate your understanding of this concept, your instructor may ask you to collaboratively summarize this video. Moving from annotation to summary allows us to connect parts to their greater whole, much like when we moved from seeing the distinct parts of identity through our maps to pulling them together to create a narrative essay. When you’re annotating, you’re thinking about individual aspects of a text, but when you summarize, you’re putting those pieces together in a way that reflects your understanding of the text in its entirety.
It’s important to note that summarizing is actually a complex cognitive process and that not all summaries look the same. They are purpose-driven and identity-driven based on what you, as a reader, notice and want to do with a text in a specific context.
- Working alone or with a partner in a shared document, you will:
- Summarize a key point Crenshaw makes in your own words. A “key point” is one of the main ideas in a text that is representative of the writer’s position and point of view.
- Incorporate a quote (in Crenshaw’s own words) that illustrates or speaks to this key point.
- Follow the quote with a discussion of what it says (e.g., the ideas or assumptions the writer is responding to or challenging).
- Discuss how Crenshaw develops this point (what examples or evidence does she use?).
- Say why it matters—what is the significance of the point that Crenshaw is making, and why should we care?
Resources
- “Writing Summaries” [Website], The Word on College Reading and Writing
- “Exploring Identity and Intersectionality in Poetry” [Website], PBS
- Danez Smith, “poem where I be & you just might” [Website]
Attribution
“Intersectionality” by Jackie Hendricks, Amy Lueck, Loring Pfeiffer, and Maura Tarnoff is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
