Just as many disciplines now require a positionality statement in published research, instructors may consider reflecting on their teaching positionality. Cho, S., Crenshaw, K. W., & McCall, L. (2013). intersectionality icebreaker. As a Black woman who migrated from Zimbabwe, she has always stood out at her company. I ask them to allow approximately 30 minutes to complete: One of the most powerful, influential theories that have helped us to rethink power and identities in recent years is intersectionality theory. 1. The OE and its employees do not make any warranty, expressed or implied, nor assume any liability for the services provided by any entity, program or resource identified on this site or through links from this site. Helena loves good food, travel, and time alone. The theory of those systems became known as intersectionality, a term popularized by law professor Kimberl Crenshaw. 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This activity focuses on what are our salient identities in particular circumstances. By Olena Hankivsky, 2014. While white and male tend to be positions of power in society, there is an interesting issue of disadvantage among working-class, white, and male in the North-East of England. Some of us have experienced racial discrimination personally, perhaps through generations of our family. Go here to get the curriculum without updates. I talk to students about my passion for critical pedagogy and why I think learning ideas like intersectional feminism matters to help them make a positive impact on the world. The Office of Inclusion and Outreach (OIO) provides sustained, comprehensive programs across all educational levels to promote access and increase numbers of underrepresented populations in healthcare, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and research professions. In her 1991 article " Mapping the Margins ," she explained how people who . Intersectional feminism is a thought-provoking and rewarding theory to teach. The next, "Muslim Feminism," will be on Dec. 6. Intersectionality is a tool that allows us to think about systemic oppression in a broad context and emphasizes individual's experiences in an effort to understand privilege and power. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. Today the basic principles of intersectionality are widely acceptedeven by critics of the termand the concept has expanded to acknowledge a wider array of identity factors, including citizenship status, indigeneity, age, spirituality or religious affiliation, and socioeconomic status or class. The framework of intersectionality reminds us that we should bring our whole and authentic selves to work in order to perform our best and foster a collaborative environment with our colleagues (see Part 3). Intersectionality is a framework for conceptualizing a person, group of people, or social problem as affected by a number of discriminations and disadvantages. The group activity in-class (including its two variants using fictive or real-world cases) and the final end-of-semester self-reflection are ways to encourage students to link their identities with society. This article in The Guardian about the incident can serve as a real-world case for the activity, but youll need to allow more time in class for students to read, process, and potentially do additional research about their case. Our identities are not fixed or static; we are not only our race or our gender identity or our sexual orientation (Harris & White, 2013). Intersectionality is a framework to begin the conversation - never underestimate the importance of learning about individuals and their unique stories. The OE does not provide dedicated funding for these resources. As Maya Angelou said, "In diversity, there is beauty and there is strength." AAUW respects and celebrates the diversity of our members and those differences form the backbone of our organization. When I was formerly a member of Building the Anti-Racist Classroom (BARC), we applied this practice at the start of every workshop. While considering other identities is important to name one's experience, by excluding a racial component, you ignore a critical piece of understanding; you cannot understand your holistic experience without acknowledging how your race shapes and influences the barriers you will face when your other identities intersect. This stereotype is unsupported by any data, and yet it is a trope rolled out during times of moral panic stirred up by media or ideologues. The class should be encouraged to offer additional observations and considerations. Its basically a lens, a prism, for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other. Ive fallen into countless pitfalls, seeing group discussions trigger marginalized students and descend into tears. For clarification on your employee status, consult the. Interestingly, the stereotype is not rolled-out against lesbians, showing how it is the unique intersection of being male and homosexuality where this stereotype is weaponized. Many times that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things. Crenshaw expanded on the Collectives theory, stating that in order to understand the oppression of black women, it is necessary to look at the intersection of blackness and womanhood. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1057%2Ffr.2008.4. Allow each group to share their case with the rest of the class and present the highlights of their analysis. We know that everyone reading this has come to follow YW Bostons work from different entry points. How do you explain what it means today? Signs: Journal of women in culture and society, 38(4), 785-810. Learning about social justice prepares students to understand and challenge power and oppression in the world. People who are gay have similarly faced discrimination due to their sexuality. In a time when women were relegated to the domestic sphere, and black people were silenced, she broke through to influence public sentiment across the nation. Mel Baggs was a non-binary blogger who wrote about autism and disability. Considering the layers of intersectionality ensures that all voices are heard and there is a conscious awareness of the trade-offs being made and their implications.". However, the overarching hierarchy of power and privilege that have set-up an inequitable system is what Kimberl was describing. To enhance diversity, the University strives to recognize underrepresented groups in the areas of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, and ability status. Do you want to submit a guest blog? As one of the few people of color at her organization, she feels her image was exploited in corporate branding to help her company look more diverse than it really is. Explore any of these five-minute exercises that center on a relevant diversity, inclusion and access topic. Keeping this in mind, we can begin to think critically and strategically about. In other words, intersectional theory asserts that people are often disadvantaged by multiple sources of oppression: their race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and other identity markers. Each group will randomly receive one of the cases. Intersectionality is a tool that allows us to think about systemic oppression in a broad context and emphasizes individual's experiences in an effort to understand privilege and power. Looking for a way to jump-start your next meeting? Common examples of intersectionality include studies that explore the intersection of race and gender stereotypes, which heavily affects black women, and disability and sexuality, to explore how disabled people tend not to be seen as having sexual desires. Missing and Indigenous Women. The OE is not responsible for the accuracy, legality, or content of the resources above. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race. All of us seek change in our community, no matter how we became involved. I have collated slides from my classes that you may use to run this activity on intersectional feminism. Interestingly, were we to change just one identity marker of the WASP, a new stereotype emerges. Social Science & Medicine, 72(8), 1236-1248. The worksheet prompts students to fill in various social identities (such as race, gender, sex, ability disability, sexual orientation, etc.) Activity Finder Activity Type Especially for undergraduate college students who may not be used to having these kinds of political discussions at home, I acknowledge that the lecture could be very uncomfortable. This is a coin termed to describe the medias hyperfocus on white women who go missing. Consultation services are available to all UConn faculty at all campuses at no charge. She then served in WWI. The content provided in these guides serve as a starting point for you to begin laying the foundations of your DEI learning. Here, we see an intersection between gender and disability where there is a compounding effect of disadvantage. The classroom, with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility. It reminds us that people's lives cannot be explained by taking into account single categories, such as gender, race, sexuality, or socio-economic statu Theres nothing new about defenders of the status quo criticizing those who are demanding that injustices be addressed. The idea behind the principled space recognizes that its not ever truly possible to guarantee a safe space and thus in its place, we can at least commit to adhering to a set of agreed principles. White, The Atlantic, 2015. 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In fact, studies have found that black people also face the problem that they are underrepresented in the research on LGBT experiences. Credit:Sara D. Anderson, Karissa Stolen, and Paulina Venzor, 2020, Office of Equity at the University of Colorado Denver and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Visibly disabled people often find it difficult for society to see them as anything other than their disability. Disability. Conference and Event Planning Don't want to give us your email? Warner, & Brown. provides sustained, comprehensive programs across all educational levels to promote access and increase numbers of underrepresented populations in healthcare, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and research professions. CU Denver and Auraria Campus are CLOSED on Wednesday - January 18, 2023. Listen and defer to those who live with these intersectional identities each day. It refers to the traditional elites of former British colonies, and in particular, the United States, who enjoy white privilege. Framing Questions on Intersectionality A Resource provided by the US Human Rights Network and the Rutgers Center for Women's Global Leadership1 Here is our list of the most fun icebreaker games that let your team have a great time, while also providing shared experiences to facilitate future interactions. Advocates use the theory to promote greater understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our classrooms and workplaces. Below are five examples. Now that we have come to the collective agreement that people are comprised of more identities than what meets the eye, we must begin to make an active choice to see one another holisticallyand not what we assume or perceive another person to be. Her identities of being black AND being a woman do not operate independently; insteadthe interactions between the two identities frequently reinforce each other and shape her experience within an inequitable system. She graduated high school at a time when most women were expected to drop out. Understanding the terminology used in equity work is a useful tool for people expanding their knowledge on the issues they care about. No prob. Hire Our Students I like to set up this activity online, requiring students to complete it as a preparatory exercise before moving to group discussions in class. Nash, J. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI)offers services, resources, and guidance to enhance diversity university-wide and foster a culture of equity and inclusionfor the CU Denver Campus. Why Do They Matter? That means they should be ready to encounter new ideas and have difficult discussions about them. So, she went to the United States where she got her nursing degree. Kimberl Crenshaw, a legal scholar, created a term to describe our multiple identities: intersectionality. Sociological Theory, 28(2), 129-149,245. Re-thinking intersectionality. Helena is an intersectional feminist scholar-activist living and writing in Sydney, Australia. In the introduction these women state that The synthesis of these oppressions creates the conditions of our lives. Some of us have little experience with social justice, but seek a better understanding of inequity in Greater Boston. But the confluence of these two identity markers raises some unique stereotypes around being exotic, submissive, and a service worker. Helen Keller was not only a woman, she was also a deafblind person who changed the world in the early 20th Century. How do our different identities intersect, interact, and affect our daily lives. Many black women found it difficult to identify with the issues of the mainstream (white) feminist movement, issues such as the pressure to be a homemaker. Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. When we approach the lecture on intersectionality theory, I include a disclaimer at the start of the lecture. In this interview, Kimberl Crenshaw also explained how intersectionality does not fetishize victimization, but merely explains how you have access to, or you are denied access to, certain things in life. hosted by Kimberl Crenshaw, Video: Kimberl Crenshaw The Urgency of Intersectionality, Video: Kimberl Crenshaw Defines Intersectionality, Race and Feminism: Womens March Recalls the Touchy History, Rethinking Intersectionality by Jennifer C. Nash, Practicing Intersectionality in Sociological Research by Hae Yeon Choo and Myra Marx Ferree, Intersectionality: Mapping the Movements of a Theory by Devon W. Carbado, Kimberle Crenshaw, Vickie M. Mays, Barbara Tomlinson, Kimberl Crenshaw on Intersectionality: An Interview, There is No Hierarchy of Oppression by Audre Lorde, Social Inequality, Power, and Politics: Intersectionality and American Pragmatism in Dialogue by Patricia Hill Collins, (Re)Imagining Intersectional Democracy from Black Feminism to Hashtag Activism by Sarah J. Jackson, On Violence, Intersectionality and Transversal Politics by Patricia Hill Collins, Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment by Patricia Hill Collins, Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism by Patricia Hill Collins, Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory by Patricia Hill Collins, GW is committed to digital accessibility. Once we recognize this difference, we can move away from language that seeks to define people by a singular identity. 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