understanding intersectionality, black scholarship and transformation

Standpoint Methodologies

1. Nature and Purpose:

o Standpoint methodologies challenge existing power dynamics and entrenched
practices within social science research.
o They are not merely methods but political positions that researchers adopt to
navigate their work, emphasizing the inevitability of values in research, even
in quantitative studies.
o There is a critique of both positivism (which asserts that knowledge is
objective and value-free) and interpretivism/social constructionism (which
might lack political commitment).
2. Political Commitment:
o Standpoint methodologies are overtly political, aiming to give voice to
marginalized groups and broaden research scope.
o They advocate for moral and political choices in research to challenge vested
interests, which often leads to risks for the researchers involved.

Types of Standpoint Methodologies

1. Feminist Research:
o Aims to study gender relations and address women’s discrimination.
o Encourages collective action to dismantle oppressive power structures.
2. Black Scholarship:
o Addresses issues like anti-racism and African identity.
o Seeks to overturn historical narratives that depict blackness as inferior.
3. Marxist Research:
o Focuses on class struggle and economic inequalities, examining the power
dynamics between different classes.

Central Premises of Standpoint Methodologies

1. Critique of Hidden Relationships:

o Research aims to uncover underlying power dynamics rather than just surface-
level observations.
2. Commitment to the Oppressed:
o Researchers prioritize the interests of marginalized groups in their work.
3. Research as Activism:
o The ultimate goal is societal change, with research tied to activism aimed at
benefiting disempowered groups.

Black/African Scholarship

1. Historical Context:
o Black identity and perspectives have been historically constructed as inferior,
influenced by colonial education systems and scientific racism.
 2. Principles of Black Scholarship:
o Advocates for a liberatory approach to social science, emphasizing different
phases of research:
 Disillusionment: Critique of the colonization of black experiences by
white researchers.
 Reactive Engagement: Challenge Eurocentric assumptions in
research.
 Constructive Self-Definition: Promote African worldviews and
cultural traditions.
 Emancipatory Discourse: Advocate for African values and practices
in research.
3. Research Values:
o Emphasizes African humanism over objective science, respects various
knowledge systems, and promotes communal processes like Participatory
Action Research (PAR).

Politics of Racial Identity

1. Mutual Dependence of Racial Categories:

o Whiteness and blackness are constructed through colonial histories, with the
superiority of whiteness inherently relying on the devaluation of blackness.
2. Pathology of Colonial Encounters:
o Colonialism can disrupt identities and create psychological disturbances,
affecting how individuals perceive themselves and their communities.

Transformation and Decolonization

1. Feminism as Theory and Practice:

o Feminism is both a theoretical framework and a practical movement aimed at
addressing gender discrimination.
2. Defining Feminist Research:
o It focuses on women's concerns, acknowledges the subjective role of the
researcher, and critiques the personal-political divide.
3. Content and Process:
o Feminist research scrutinizes both the content of what is studied and the
process of how research is conducted, ensuring that women's experiences and
perspectives are central.

Understanding the Work

 Political and Emancipatory: Both Black scholarship and feminist research

emphasize the political nature of research, arguing that it should serve the interests of
marginalized groups and promote social justice.
 Intersectionality: Recognizing that identity is complex and that various forms of
oppression intersect (e.g., race, gender) is crucial in both frameworks.
 Community Focus: There is a strong emphasis on collaborative research approaches
that empower communities and prioritize collective well-being over individual
academic pursuits.
In summary, standpoint methodologies, especially in the contexts of Black scholarship and
feminist research, seek to challenge dominant narratives and practices in social science,
promote inclusivity, and advocate for social change through a political lens

Types of Feminism

1. Liberal Feminism:
o Focus: Advocates for equal rights and opportunities, emphasizing legal and
structural barriers to women’s full participation in society.
o Concerns: Issues like equal pay and equal rights in legal contexts.
o Accomplishments: Led to significant achievements, such as gender equity
laws.
o Critique: Limited in its ability to enact radical change because it does not
challenge the underlying systems of power that sustain oppression.
2. Marxist/Socialist Feminism:
o Focus: Links women's oppression to capitalism and economic dependence on
men.
o Concerns: Challenges the public/private dichotomy and how gender roles
contribute to women’s economic disadvantages.
o Goal: Aims to dismantle the structures of capitalism that perpetuate gender
inequality.
3. Radical Feminism:
o Focus: Views patriarchy as the root cause of women's oppression, calling for a
systemic change in how society is structured.
o Key Institutions: Highlights marriage and family as institutions that reinforce
patriarchal values.
o Critique: Some argue that it can lead to essentializing women as a singular
category, ignoring differences among women.
4. Poststructuralist Feminism:
o Focus: Deconstructs fixed ideas about gender and identity, emphasizing the
fluidity of gender.
o Key Ideas:
 Language constructs gender differences and is imbued with power.
 Identities are complex and contextual, allowing for agency in resisting
dominant narratives.
o Critique: Challenges the notion of stable identities, arguing that both
masculinity and femininity are socially inscribed.
5. Black/African Feminism:
o Focus: Addresses the specific experiences of black women within a context of
racism, capitalism, and patriarchy.
o Critique of Other Movements: Emerged from dissatisfaction with both the
civil rights movement (dominated by men) and white feminism.
o Agenda: Advocates for an anti-imperialist framework and theorizes the
experiences of women in postcolonial contexts.

Feminist Waves
 1. 1st Wave (Late 1800s - Early 1900s):
o Focus: Women's suffrage and property rights.
o Key Idea: Emphasized similarities between genders rather than differences,
seeking to include women in existing research without critiquing scientific
frameworks.
2. 2nd Wave (1960s - 1970s):
o Focus: Overthrowing patriarchy and addressing gender as a political issue.
o Key Idea: Highlighted the differences in experiences between men and
women, aiming to give voice to women’s experiences.
3. 3rd Wave (1990s - Present):
o Focus: Critiques scientific neutrality and acknowledges the fluidity of identity.
o Key Idea: Emphasizes multiple realities and subjectivities, challenging taken-
for-granted assumptions in research.

Comparing Types and Waves of Feminism

 Similarities: Both types and waves address gender inequality and advocate for
women's rights, but they do so from different ideological and methodological
perspectives.
 Differences:
o The first wave is more focused on legal and political rights, while the second
wave emphasizes social change and individual experiences.
o The third wave introduces postmodern critiques of essentialism and
acknowledges the fluidity of identity, contrasting with earlier waves that
sought more unified goals.

Marxist Research Perspectives

 Focus: Concerned primarily with class oppression and its intersections with other
forms of oppression, including gender.
 Methodology: While not a strict methodology, Marxism critiques capitalist structures
and how they contribute to social inequalities.

Privilege and Oppression

 Privilege:
o Defined as advantages and benefits enjoyed by members of dominant groups
(e.g., based on race, class, gender) that often remain invisible to them.
o Operates on various levels: personal (individual experiences), interpersonal
(social interactions), cultural (societal norms), and institutional (policies and
structures).
 Oppression:
o The systemic discrimination that occurs when prejudice combines with
institutional power, creating barriers for marginalized groups.
o Both privilege and oppression are interdependent; recognizing one often
necessitates acknowledging the other.

Understanding the Work

 1. Intersectionality: All forms of feminism recognize that issues of gender cannot be
separated from other social categories, like race, class, and sexuality. This is
particularly emphasized in Black feminism and poststructuralist feminism.
2. Research Implications: Feminist research methods challenge traditional
methodologies by prioritizing women's experiences and the complexities of identity,
thus pushing for a more inclusive understanding of social phenomena.
3. Critique of Neutrality: Feminist and Marxist perspectives argue that research is not
neutral; it is influenced by the researchers' positionalities and the societal context,
calling for reflexivity and ethical responsibility in research practices.

By integrating these frameworks, feminist research aims to highlight and challenge systemic
inequalities while promoting social justice and activism.

Intersectionality Overview

 Definition: Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality refers to the

interconnectedness of various identities and experiences, particularly how these relate
to systems of power and social oppression. It emphasizes that individuals do not
experience oppression or privilege in isolation; instead, multiple factors (such as race,
gender, class, sexuality, and more) interact to shape their experiences.
 Quote: The phrase by Audre Lorde, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle
because we do not live single-issue lives,” encapsulates the essence of
intersectionality: our lives are shaped by a web of interconnected identities and
experiences, making single-issue activism inadequate.

Historical Context and Critique of Feminism

 Origins: Intersectionality emerged from critiques of the second wave of feminism,

particularly the experiences of black women who felt sidelined by a movement
predominantly focused on the issues of white, middle-class women. Early feminist
scholarship often generalized the concerns of white women to all women, ignoring the
unique struggles faced by women of color.
 Critique of the Additive Approach:
o Additive Model of Oppression: This model suggests that social identities
(e.g., race, gender) can be added together to create a sum of oppression (e.g., a
Black woman faces both racism and sexism). However, this approach is
criticized for oversimplifying complex experiences and failing to account for
how these identities interact in nuanced ways.
o Problems with Essentialism: The additive model can lead to essentialist
thinking, where certain identities are seen as definitive (e.g., defining “Black”
in a limited way), neglecting the diverse ways individuals can belong to and
experience their identities.

Crenshaw's Framework

In her 1989 work, “Mapping the Margins,” Crenshaw identifies three types of
intersectionality:

1. Structural Intersectionality:
 o Focuses on how overlapping social identities affect access to resources and
opportunities. For example, an immigrant woman may find resources available
but inaccessible due to language barriers or specific eligibility criteria that do
not consider her unique situation.
2. Political Intersectionality:
o Highlights that individuals from marginalized groups (e.g., women of color)
often navigate conflicting political agendas. For instance, a woman of color
may face different forms of racism and sexism than her male counterparts or
white female counterparts, complicating her political identity and activism.
3. Representational Intersectionality:
o Examines how cultural representations contribute to disempowerment. This
involves looking at how women of color are portrayed in media and popular
culture and understanding how these representations reinforce societal
hierarchies.

Intersectional Theory

 Key Theorists: Besides Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins is a prominent

figure in developing intersectionality theory.
 Three Elements:
o Axes of Identity: Refers to the different dimensions (e.g., race, gender,
sexuality) that shape a person’s experience.
o Social Structural Oppressions: Examines how societal structures (e.g., laws,
institutions) perpetuate inequality.
o Matrix of Domination: A concept introduced by Collins that posits that
various identities intersect to create unique experiences of both privilege and
oppression.

Matrix of Domination

 Interaction of Identities: All social identities interact to create distinct life

experiences. Depending on an individual's position in the matrix, they can experience
various combinations of privilege and oppression.
 Four Categories of Oppression:
1. Structural: Institutional systems that create barriers (e.g., laws, economic
systems).
2. Disciplinary: Institutions that maintain oppression (e.g., schools,
bureaucracies) that present themselves as rational or efficient.
3. Interpersonal: Daily interactions that reinforce or challenge social hierarchies
(e.g., personal relationships, everyday behavior).
4. Hegemonic: Cultural narratives that legitimize oppression (e.g., language,
media) and maintain the status quo.

Intersectional Research

 Definition: Intersectional research involves analyzing social issues within the broader
socio-historical context of structural inequality. It seeks to understand how these
structures affect the lived experiences of marginalized groups.
  Example: Investigating why Black women may experience higher rates of depression
and PTSD within specific social contexts, considering factors like systemic racism
and economic instability.

What is NOT Intersectional Research

 Common Misunderstandings:
o Simply including diverse groups in research or studying demographic
differences is not sufficient for intersectional research. Intersectionality
requires a deeper analysis of how different identities interact with systemic
inequalities.
o Focusing on one identity without examining the intersectional context can lead
to stigmatization or misrepresentation of marginalized groups.

Conclusion

Intersectionality is a crucial framework for understanding the complexities of identity and

oppression. It critiques the limitations of traditional feminist approaches by emphasizing the
importance of context and the interplay of multiple identities. Intersectional research aims to
provide a more nuanced understanding of social issues, which is essential for effective
activism and policy-making. By acknowledging the interconnectedness of various forms of
oppression, intersectionality fosters a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to social
justice