Johanna Rabindran
Coined by black feminist scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality has become a pillar of modern feminism. For the uninitiated, intersectionality explains how overlapping socio-political identities (gender, race, sexuality, class, etc) combine to create unique modes of discrimination. Black women, for example, face a combination of racism and sexism. This approach acknowledges that women with different identities experience marginalisation differently. It would be exclusive and grossly unfair to focus only on the experiences of some women and not others. Although most of us would agree in principle, I’ve noticed we tend to leave the concept in the classroom (I know I’ve been guilty of this too)1. To bring real change, intersectionality calls for closer observation, sensitivity and action.
Endnotes
1Here’s a recent example: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/magazine/the-wing.html
A student of Political Science, Johanna Rabindran has written previously for Katha, an NGO, as well as the history journal and political science newsletter of Lady Shri Ram College. She has also served as editor for Sabab, the department journal. Her research interests include language and politics, political theory, feminism in practice and media. On quiet days she drafts her first novel, makes digital art and raves about her favourite books (The Name of the Rose, A Man Called Ove, and A Passage to India!).