Tefera, Powers and Fischman describe intersectionality as a “conceptual aspiration.” What might that phrase mean and do you see intersectionality operating in an aspirational way in Cuba et al and/or in Fine’s Chapter 6?
Dana RD Although I am not certain what a “non-conceptual aspiration” might be, perhaps it could be an experience in one’s immediate reality when a personal or shared aspiration is emerging in partially realized and vivid form. I think the phrase “conceptual aspiration” does apply to parts of what both Michelle Fine and the authors of “Beyond the Label” write about from their research study experiences. In the development coaching field, notably in the Narrative Coaching practice, conceptualizing, articulating and writing down and/or speaking out one’s aspiration(s) are steps of fundamental importance. Similar to my understanding of what "aspiration" means in common usage, aspirations serve as an anchoring “future vision” of desired growth/change outcomes, both for a “clear enough” directional guide to "what the change looks like" and the activating and sustaining of one’s drive to work toward that change. In Fine’s chapter 6, I see some conceptual aspirations in the closing paragraph of her article. There she speaks from a more future-oriented perspective, stating that “Our obligation has been, and continues to be, deeply shaped by, and accountable to young people under siege. Together we decide how/when/to whom/for whom we provide open access to the data, for activists on the ground, for advocates involved in class action lawsuits….” In these words she shifts attention to a future where the undeniable “activist” spirit and determination that she joyfully observes in so many LGBTQ+/GNC youth continues to live through “courageous acts of ‘being myself’ and “letting other know who I am.”
In some contrast to Fine’s expression of “aspirations”, I see the authors of “Beyond the Label” expressing “conceptual aspirations” in terms that seem more typical (from my very limited reading in the field) of “change agent” closing points in critical theory research articles. In the last section entitled “Implications for Practice and Policy”, there are seven or more “reform action proposals” posited that relate to deeply damaging effects from current and long-standing practices which are foregrounded by the author's empirical research findings on intersectional dynamics related to certain students in public education. These “calls to corrective action” are addressed to teachers, school social workers, and school systems. In referencing back to some of our class dialogue with Dr. Santoro, these aspirations represent the type of meaningful, but incremental, corrective response to “what is going wrong now” (characterized as Deweyan progressive reform in that discussion) vs. more radical “revolutionary” change that I thought Dr. Santoro expressed as maybe required for a truly fair and just transformation of public school education in the US. Now looking back at what I identified as Fine’s sense of aspiration, perhaps it is more of a “non-conceptual aspiration” orientation, with the “future-looking” element shown in sustaining a reality of undeniable “activist spirit” and determination to “being and myself” and “letting others know who I am" far into the future.
In the chapter by Tefera et al. (2018), the authors describe intersectionality as a “conceptual aspiration.” I believe that they are referring to intersectionality as a research ideal that education researchers should strive to when conducting studies on education. In the authors’ minds, intersectionality should be the lens through which researchers view their work in order to consider and report on the various factors that influence behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. By utilizing an intersectional approach, researchers can move beyond the single-axis approaches they have used in the past in order to address gaps that may have been missed due to the one-dimensional approach that excludes multiple layers of marginalization. They refer to the idea of intersectionality as aspirational because of the difficulty that researchers have in conducting research in this way; the analyses and results do not turn out quite so neatly when trying to compare multiple dimensions of one’s identity.
In the Cuba et al. (2018) article, the researchers implemented an intersectional approach when analyzing the experience of two EL students. I believe that this study could be deemed as conceptually aspirational because they approached the topic with a different lens than others may have before them. Because of the complexities, the researchers utilized a very small sample of 2 students and directly compared their experiences while pointing out the differences between their identities.
Thanks Josh. I agree with what you as the captured as the "conceptual aspiration" represented by intersectionality as a promising and worthwhile new research orientation and methodology as represented in the two articles. I also found it interestimg to think about the "aspirational" outcomes of this research approach in terms of what outcomes it generated from the researchers' work as expressed in the articles. The characater of their outcomes (in terms of an answer to the question "So what makes this research meaningful in 'our world'?", looks quite different to me, even though they both employed an intersectional orientation. Any thoughts on this? Dana TD
I believe that when Tefera et al. refer to intersectionality in research as a conceptual aspiration, they are doing a few things. First, they are calling for it to be a value of researchers in education to strive towards the inclusion of intersectional perspectives, rather than fixating on single-issue categories. Second, they are acknowledging the complexity of intersectionality by recognizing that it must be aspirational, because it can be striven toward but rarely fully achieved and understood. These are taken together for a call to work towards increasingly intersectional research, even if fully understanding the complexities of intersectionality remains out of reach.
In Cuba et al., this aspirational approach is fully realized. Different aspects of the participants' identities are explored, but there is recognition that interaction between these aspects cannot fully be understood. I think this is another aspect of humility and skepticism in research, and it is interesting to see it in this context, where the urgency of the subject matter often causes researchers to make more sweeping, less tempered claims.
By using the term conceptual aspiration, I believe Tefera, Powers, and Fischman really capture the nuances embedded in the working definition. I think the focus is this idea that intersectionality is something we should be always working towards, but at the same time we have no concrete idea of what it looks like. It lends itself to an open analysis and application of intersectionality and what it means for everyone. I think Cuba et al. further expands on this with her case study. The fact that these two boys have very similar demographics, but still differ. I think her case study also makes a good argument against using any type of identity marker as the singular reason or causation of observed results. Instead she shows how we have to be considerate of intersectionality and how identities interact, but also understand there may be no true answer as to why they interact that way or why we get the results we do from person to person.
Tefera et al. look at intersectionality as a way to make research regarding education inclusive of multiple categories, rather than just one specific category. Many of us can check multiple boxes in regards to our identities. Conceptual aspiration is a way to describe how the idea of understanding how the many facets of our identities (Culture, gender, religious group, age, academic achievement, race etc.) have a part in our experiences and our self-image. I think that Tefera et al. is suggesting that educational researchers really don't have a full grasp on intersectionality and how much impact it can have on a person. Intersectionality is very complex, and I think that Tefera et al. are pointing out that educational research needs to do better with focusing on more than one particular aspect of a student's identity and look more at how they all come together to form students’ educational experience. I had this feeling that the conceptual aspiration term was almost like it was intended to describe what could only be hoped for due to the complexity of intersectionality. I am currently working on a project exploring deficit language, and intersectionality plays a role in marginalizing students based on language used to describe these individuals. Cuba et al. touched on this with the ELL label. With terms that can be considered deficit language used for someone who happens to fall into many of the categories, it is something researchers need to consider. Fine brings the concept full circle with her discussion of LGBTQ minority youth: a prime example of intersectionality that is missed in many studies.
Tefera, Powers and Fischman describe intersectionality as a "conceptual aspiration" is a few ways. One way is by intentionally seeking out and incorporating multiple identities into research. That alone is not enough though, looking at how power dynamics and disenfranchisement factor into the research process and how that effects outcomes (for participants and the study) is an important factor as well. What are the relationships within and between identities participants' identities and what we're studying? It is not enough to look at between group differences (e.g. only looking at differences between participant's race, class, or gender), but one must examine how they interlock.
Examining identities is only the beginning of intersectionality as a concept. Researchers should truly aspire to incorporate and discuss how these identities are influenced by social structures, how they are experienced systemically, and how they should be thought about within community context.
Fine’s chapter 6 discusses her research with LGBTQ+ youth. She describes her process of interviewing LGBTQ+ youth and some adult participants as “deliberate,” “difficult” and “delicate,” but not “representative.” She notes that there is so much nuance to queer identities, that it would be disservice to say that any research with queer participants has a completely representative sample. However, she makes sure that her survey questions have input from LGBTQ+ voices, with varying queer viewpoints and insight, to contextualize larger experiences (e.g. such as violence and homelessness). This solicited input influenced the questions asked on her survey that was distributed to over 6,000 participants. Fine gets into other identities separate from gender and sexuality with this research as well. She discusses a history of campaigns using youth of color to be the activists of queer youth experiencing challenges, where white queer youth are often not depicted in the same way. She aimed to showcase a variety of identities, without mirroring what has traditionally been easy or previously said.
Tefera, Powers, And Fischman use the term conceptual aspiration to mean a goal. Research tends to focus on one dimension of any particular subject's identity; see all of the studies that speak to the "black student experience" or the "queer student experience" (massive citations needed). Intersectionality posits that the complex web of a persons identity in turn makes studying identity and experience complex, and to focus on only one particular lane is to oversimplify their experience. In short, by looking at only one particular identity, we will miss the forest for the trees.
The trouble comes in how you design a study that captures all of the nuances of a person's identity. In short, you cannot. For example, I identify as a black, cisgender, queer woman. If you found 49 other black, cisgender, queer women and surveyed us to know how we felt about VCU's Call Me By My Name policy, you'd get 50 different responses, because even though we share some pivotal identities, the overall web of our identities is too complicated.
Of course, that makes this a tough sell for researchers. No researcher wants to hear that their methodology will be invalid simply because it doesn't capture the infinite amount of complexity. Research is supposed to be controllable, and intersectionality inserts a lot of uncontrollable elements into any research design. The trick is to figure out how to position oneself and one's research with an intersectional lens, which is where the conceptual aspiration comes in. If I were to do the example study I created above, I would want to acknowledge in my research that I surely failed to capture all of the nuances that could impact opinions. I'd want to capture as much of the variation as I could and report on it, like how Fine created an index that spoke to differing experiences within her group. The solution is to avoid single-statement conclusions and to report on as much of the variation as possible. That's the only way to be respectful to your subjects' complex identities. Ash TB
Based on Tefera, Powers and Fischman, I took “conceptual aspiration” of intersectionality quite literally as the aspiration of education to invoke the practice of intersectionality in their research and practice. I find it was best described when they referenced Harris and Leonardo who challenged scholars and activists to “be humble and to look for who is missing in the room”. In addition to the assigned reading, I also read a Time article from 2019 about intersectionality that really described it as an interlocking of systems that end up defining people. It’s that expectation, or set limitations from society, that make this concept even more complex.
I can see the theme of intersectionality in the Cuba study, but it seems to me that David and Eric had different experiences that were based on experiences outside of the classroom that also changed their views. I’m not sure about the intersectionality of it, but David’s experiences were eye opening to me. He was fully aware about the struggle between what he wanted and hoped to receive from the education system in America and what was almost expected of him as a latino male. When he described being looked at as lazy by the community for pursuing higher education instead of going into construction, it was really interesting to see the differences in how one group defines success vs another.
Fine brought in an additional layer of discrimination with the LGBTQ community. While not surprising, it was the people surveyed that identified as trans, non-binary, and of color that were discriminated against more. However, Fine is showing that there is work being done (WYI project) so that everyone can oen day see a reflection of themselves in society.
Intersectionality as a conceptual aspiration is being described as a powerful, beneficial lens through which researchers should be sure to include when conducting research. I think this concept is what the VDOE seems to be missing as it relates to EL students in Cuba’s work. The two students interviewed shared how EL students are marginalized and limited to opportunities for optimal success in their educational setting thus resulting in the data that exposes the disproportionate EL dropout rate in Virginia. I think if intersectionality as a conceptual aspiration was applied through VDOE’s educational research as suggested by Tefera et. al, we would see reflected outcomes as improvements for ESOL students. In chapter 6 of Fine’s work, this lens is seen through the evidence of the work of emerging leaders and their representation of various marginalized groups.
Intersectionality serves as the basis for a space of mutual respect that allows academics and activists to form alliances to overcome long-standing distances and mistrust between them, and it provides much-needed language, ideas and references in order to continue to bring academics and activists together. But intersectionality has long been seen as an aspiration that scholars hope will gradually become a reality in the appeal to better focus on marginalized groups and improve their lot. Dr.Cuba uses the intersecting to observe a group of children whose educational deficits are due to language barriers or other factors and she makes them heard through interviews; By providing a voice for "the Subaltern", Fine breaks the silence, exposes resistance and inspires possibilities. Intersectionality does provide a respectful space and environment, combined with critical participatory action research, to explore vulnerable groups and work with others to actually help them. From Hui Sun
Intersectionality is a way of understanding social relations by examining intersecting forms of discrimination. I see intersectionality as conceptual framework for research. The framework defines the relevant variables of any study and maps out how they might relate to each other. A conceptual framework can be designed in many ways. The form will depend on what kind of relationship are expected out of te study. For example, suppose the cause (independent variable) is (racism) and the effect (dependent variable) is (oppression). If there is a causal relationship we are looking between them, then there are chances that some moderator variable or mediator variable (sexism, ableism) could influence the causal relationship. Well, racism, sexism and ableism exist on their own but when combined they compound and transform the experience of oppression. Intersectionality acknowledges that unique oppressions exists, but it is also dedicated to understanding how they change in combination.
Intersectionality is another one of those buzzwords that have become popular in dominate culture but has always been present in marginalized cultures. Where it fails in both is to raise the platform for some overlooked identities in those groups. We often think about first generation students as low-income/BIPOC and 18 year old’s even though there are a lot of other identities that first generation intersects with. For example, you can have a queer, white, father of two army veteran that is first generation. Intersectional looks to examine all of those identities and how they interact to make up that individual. The readings discuss the importance of all of those.
Dana RD
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not certain what a “non-conceptual aspiration” might be, perhaps it could be an experience in one’s immediate reality when a personal or shared aspiration is emerging in partially realized and vivid form. I think the phrase “conceptual aspiration” does apply to parts of what both Michelle Fine and the authors of “Beyond the Label” write about from their research study experiences. In the development coaching field, notably in the Narrative Coaching practice, conceptualizing, articulating and writing down and/or speaking out one’s aspiration(s) are steps of fundamental importance. Similar to my understanding of what "aspiration" means in common usage, aspirations serve as an anchoring “future vision” of desired growth/change outcomes, both for a “clear enough” directional guide to "what the change looks like" and the activating and sustaining of one’s drive to work toward that change.
In Fine’s chapter 6, I see some conceptual aspirations in the closing paragraph of her article. There she speaks from a more future-oriented perspective, stating that “Our obligation has been, and continues to be, deeply shaped by, and accountable to young people under siege. Together we decide how/when/to whom/for whom we provide open access to the data, for activists on the ground, for advocates involved in class action lawsuits….” In these words she shifts attention to a future where the undeniable “activist” spirit and determination that she joyfully observes in so many LGBTQ+/GNC youth continues to live through “courageous acts of ‘being myself’ and “letting other know who I am.”
In some contrast to Fine’s expression of “aspirations”, I see the authors of “Beyond the Label” expressing “conceptual aspirations” in terms that seem more typical (from my very limited reading in the field) of “change agent” closing points in critical theory research articles. In the last section entitled “Implications for Practice and Policy”, there are seven or more “reform action proposals” posited that relate to deeply damaging effects from current and long-standing practices which are foregrounded by the author's empirical research findings on intersectional dynamics related to certain students in public education. These “calls to corrective action” are addressed to teachers, school social workers, and school systems. In referencing back to some of our class dialogue with Dr. Santoro, these aspirations represent the type of meaningful, but incremental, corrective response to “what is going wrong now” (characterized as Deweyan progressive reform in that discussion) vs. more radical “revolutionary” change that I thought Dr. Santoro expressed as maybe required for a truly fair and just transformation of public school education in the US.
Now looking back at what I identified as Fine’s sense of aspiration, perhaps it is more of a “non-conceptual aspiration” orientation, with the “future-looking” element shown in sustaining a reality of undeniable “activist spirit” and determination to “being and myself” and “letting others know who I am" far into the future.
In the chapter by Tefera et al. (2018), the authors describe intersectionality as a “conceptual aspiration.” I believe that they are referring to intersectionality as a research ideal that education researchers should strive to when conducting studies on education. In the authors’ minds, intersectionality should be the lens through which researchers view their work in order to consider and report on the various factors that influence behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. By utilizing an intersectional approach, researchers can move beyond the single-axis approaches they have used in the past in order to address gaps that may have been missed due to the one-dimensional approach that excludes multiple layers of marginalization. They refer to the idea of intersectionality as aspirational because of the difficulty that researchers have in conducting research in this way; the analyses and results do not turn out quite so neatly when trying to compare multiple dimensions of one’s identity.
ReplyDeleteIn the Cuba et al. (2018) article, the researchers implemented an intersectional approach when analyzing the experience of two EL students. I believe that this study could be deemed as conceptually aspirational because they approached the topic with a different lens than others may have before them. Because of the complexities, the researchers utilized a very small sample of 2 students and directly compared their experiences while pointing out the differences between their identities.
Thanks Josh. I agree with what you as the captured as the "conceptual aspiration" represented by intersectionality as a promising and worthwhile new research orientation and methodology as represented in the two articles. I also found it interestimg to think about the "aspirational" outcomes of this research approach in terms of what outcomes it generated from the researchers' work as expressed in the articles. The characater of their outcomes (in terms of an answer to the question "So what makes this research meaningful in 'our world'?", looks quite different to me, even though they both employed an intersectional orientation. Any thoughts on this?
ReplyDeleteDana TD
I believe that when Tefera et al. refer to intersectionality in research as a conceptual aspiration, they are doing a few things. First, they are calling for it to be a value of researchers in education to strive towards the inclusion of intersectional perspectives, rather than fixating on single-issue categories. Second, they are acknowledging the complexity of intersectionality by recognizing that it must be aspirational, because it can be striven toward but rarely fully achieved and understood. These are taken together for a call to work towards increasingly intersectional research, even if fully understanding the complexities of intersectionality remains out of reach.
ReplyDeleteIn Cuba et al., this aspirational approach is fully realized. Different aspects of the participants' identities are explored, but there is recognition that interaction between these aspects cannot fully be understood. I think this is another aspect of humility and skepticism in research, and it is interesting to see it in this context, where the urgency of the subject matter often causes researchers to make more sweeping, less tempered claims.
By using the term conceptual aspiration, I believe Tefera, Powers, and Fischman really capture the nuances embedded in the working definition. I think the focus is this idea that intersectionality is something we should be always working towards, but at the same time we have no concrete idea of what it looks like. It lends itself to an open analysis and application of intersectionality and what it means for everyone. I think Cuba et al. further expands on this with her case study. The fact that these two boys have very similar demographics, but still differ. I think her case study also makes a good argument against using any type of identity marker as the singular reason or causation of observed results. Instead she shows how we have to be considerate of intersectionality and how identities interact, but also understand there may be no true answer as to why they interact that way or why we get the results we do from person to person.
ReplyDeleteSierria
DeleteTefera et al. look at intersectionality as a way to make research regarding education inclusive of multiple categories, rather than just one specific category. Many of us can check multiple boxes in regards to our identities. Conceptual aspiration is a way to describe how the idea of understanding how the many facets of our identities (Culture, gender, religious group, age, academic achievement, race etc.) have a part in our experiences and our self-image. I think that Tefera et al. is suggesting that educational researchers really don't have a full grasp on intersectionality and how much impact it can have on a person. Intersectionality is very complex, and I think that Tefera et al. are pointing out that educational research needs to do better with focusing on more than one particular aspect of a student's identity and look more at how they all come together to form students’ educational experience. I had this feeling that the conceptual aspiration term was almost like it was intended to describe what could only be hoped for due to the complexity of intersectionality. I am currently working on a project exploring deficit language, and intersectionality plays a role in marginalizing students based on language used to describe these individuals. Cuba et al. touched on this with the ELL label. With terms that can be considered deficit language used for someone who happens to fall into many of the categories, it is something researchers need to consider. Fine brings the concept full circle with her discussion of LGBTQ minority youth: a prime example of intersectionality that is missed in many studies.
ReplyDeleteTefera, Powers and Fischman describe intersectionality as a "conceptual aspiration" is a few ways. One way is by intentionally seeking out and incorporating multiple identities into research. That alone is not enough though, looking at how power dynamics and disenfranchisement factor into the research process and how that effects outcomes (for participants and the study) is an important factor as well. What are the relationships within and between identities participants' identities and what we're studying? It is not enough to look at between group differences (e.g. only looking at differences between participant's race, class, or gender), but one must examine how they interlock.
ReplyDeleteExamining identities is only the beginning of intersectionality as a concept. Researchers should truly aspire to incorporate and discuss how these identities are influenced by social structures, how they are experienced systemically, and how they should be thought about within community context.
Fine’s chapter 6 discusses her research with LGBTQ+ youth. She describes her process of interviewing LGBTQ+ youth and some adult participants as “deliberate,” “difficult” and “delicate,” but not “representative.” She notes that there is so much nuance to queer identities, that it would be disservice to say that any research with queer participants has a completely representative sample. However, she makes sure that her survey questions have input from LGBTQ+ voices, with varying queer viewpoints and insight, to contextualize larger experiences (e.g. such as violence and homelessness). This solicited input influenced the questions asked on her survey that was distributed to over 6,000 participants. Fine gets into other identities separate from gender and sexuality with this research as well. She discusses a history of campaigns using youth of color to be the activists of queer youth experiencing challenges, where white queer youth are often not depicted in the same way. She aimed to showcase a variety of identities, without mirroring what has traditionally been easy or previously said.
Post by Mia Liadis
DeleteTefera, Powers, And Fischman use the term conceptual aspiration to mean a goal. Research tends to focus on one dimension of any particular subject's identity; see all of the studies that speak to the "black student experience" or the "queer student experience" (massive citations needed). Intersectionality posits that the complex web of a persons identity in turn makes studying identity and experience complex, and to focus on only one particular lane is to oversimplify their experience. In short, by looking at only one particular identity, we will miss the forest for the trees.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble comes in how you design a study that captures all of the nuances of a person's identity. In short, you cannot. For example, I identify as a black, cisgender, queer woman. If you found 49 other black, cisgender, queer women and surveyed us to know how we felt about VCU's Call Me By My Name policy, you'd get 50 different responses, because even though we share some pivotal identities, the overall web of our identities is too complicated.
Of course, that makes this a tough sell for researchers. No researcher wants to hear that their methodology will be invalid simply because it doesn't capture the infinite amount of complexity. Research is supposed to be controllable, and intersectionality inserts a lot of uncontrollable elements into any research design. The trick is to figure out how to position oneself and one's research with an intersectional lens, which is where the conceptual aspiration comes in. If I were to do the example study I created above, I would want to acknowledge in my research that I surely failed to capture all of the nuances that could impact opinions. I'd want to capture as much of the variation as I could and report on it, like how Fine created an index that spoke to differing experiences within her group. The solution is to avoid single-statement conclusions and to report on as much of the variation as possible. That's the only way to be respectful to your subjects' complex identities.
Ash TB
Based on Tefera, Powers and Fischman, I took “conceptual aspiration” of intersectionality quite literally as the aspiration of education to invoke the practice of intersectionality in their research and practice. I find it was best described when they referenced Harris and Leonardo who challenged scholars and activists to “be humble and to look for who is missing in the room”. In addition to the assigned reading, I also read a Time article from 2019 about intersectionality that really described it as an interlocking of systems that end up defining people. It’s that expectation, or set limitations from society, that make this concept even more complex.
ReplyDeleteI can see the theme of intersectionality in the Cuba study, but it seems to me that David and Eric had different experiences that were based on experiences outside of the classroom that also changed their views. I’m not sure about the intersectionality of it, but David’s experiences were eye opening to me. He was fully aware about the struggle between what he wanted and hoped to receive from the education system in America and what was almost expected of him as a latino male. When he described being looked at as lazy by the community for pursuing higher education instead of going into construction, it was really interesting to see the differences in how one group defines success vs another.
Fine brought in an additional layer of discrimination with the LGBTQ community. While not surprising, it was the people surveyed that identified as trans, non-binary, and of color that were discriminated against more. However, Fine is showing that there is work being done (WYI project) so that everyone can oen day see a reflection of themselves in society.
Comment by Lauren Mortensen
ReplyDeleteIntersectionality as a conceptual aspiration is being described as a powerful, beneficial lens through which researchers should be sure to include when conducting research. I think this concept is what the VDOE seems to be missing as it relates to EL students in Cuba’s work. The two students interviewed shared how EL students are marginalized and limited to opportunities for optimal success in their educational setting thus resulting in the data that exposes the disproportionate EL dropout rate in Virginia. I think if intersectionality as a conceptual aspiration was applied through VDOE’s educational research as suggested by Tefera et. al, we would see reflected outcomes as improvements for ESOL students. In chapter 6 of Fine’s work, this lens is seen through the evidence of the work of emerging leaders and their representation of various marginalized groups.
Jasmine
Intersectionality serves as the basis for a space of mutual respect that allows academics and activists to form alliances to overcome long-standing distances and mistrust between them, and it provides much-needed language, ideas and references in order to continue to bring academics and activists together. But intersectionality has long been seen as an aspiration that scholars hope will gradually become a reality in the appeal to better focus on marginalized groups and improve their lot. Dr.Cuba uses the intersecting to observe a group of children whose educational deficits are due to language barriers or other factors and she makes them heard through interviews; By providing a voice for "the Subaltern", Fine breaks the silence, exposes resistance and inspires possibilities. Intersectionality does provide a respectful space and environment, combined with critical participatory action research, to explore vulnerable groups and work with others to actually help them.
ReplyDeleteFrom Hui Sun
Intersectionality is a way of understanding social relations by examining intersecting forms of discrimination. I see intersectionality as conceptual framework for research. The framework defines the relevant variables of any study and maps out how they might relate to each other. A conceptual framework can be designed in many ways. The form will depend on what kind of relationship are expected out of te study. For example, suppose the cause (independent variable) is (racism) and the effect (dependent variable) is (oppression). If there is a causal relationship we are looking between them, then there are chances that some moderator variable or mediator variable (sexism, ableism) could influence the causal relationship. Well, racism, sexism and ableism exist on their own but when combined they compound and transform the experience of oppression. Intersectionality acknowledges that unique oppressions exists, but it is also dedicated to understanding how they change in combination.
ReplyDeleteIntersectionality is another one of those buzzwords that have become popular in dominate culture but has always been present in marginalized cultures. Where it fails in both is to raise the platform for some overlooked identities in those groups. We often think about first generation students as low-income/BIPOC and 18 year old’s even though there are a lot of other identities that first generation intersects with. For example, you can have a queer, white, father of two army veteran that is first generation. Intersectional looks to examine all of those identities and how they interact to make up that individual. The readings discuss the importance of all of those.
ReplyDeleteGerron