\nThe theory of intersectionality focuses on how a wide spectrum of biological, social and cultural categories<\/b> which characterise our identities <\/b>(such as gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, and more) interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels<\/b>.<\/p>\n
These intersections are what ranks us as citizens of higher or lower status (power) in the society we live in \u2013 possibly also ranking us so unfavourably that we find ourselves in a marginalised position. Marginalised individuals are often regarded as an underclass: society doesn\u2019t provide them with equal access to basic material needs, work opportunities, education, welfare or health care.
\nConsequently, the interaction <\/b>of the categories building our societal profile can contribute to social inequality and injustice<\/b>, fueling forms of oppression towards groups belonging to one or more of these categories, which interconnect and ultimately create a whole system of discriminations intersecting with each other<\/b>.<\/p>\n
In her 1991 paper Mapping the margins: intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color<\/a><\/em>, Crenshaw discusses the theory with a specific focus on the analysis of the race and gender dimensions of violence against women of color in the United States, and how their struggles had been ignored by both feminism and anti-racist movement. But she also highlights how the <\/b>understanding of intersectionality can serve as a basis to address other kinds of marginalisations as well<\/b> and how it can serve the aim to acquire social and political equality and improve democracy. In her words<\/a>:<\/p>\n ” [\u2026] Intersectionality may provide the means for dealing with other marginalizations as well. For example, race can also be a coalition of straight and gay people of color, and thus serve as a basis for critique of […] institutions that reproduce heterosexism.<\/p>\n With identity thus reconceptualized, it may be easier to understand the need for and to summon the courage to challenge groups that are after all, in one sense, “home” to us, in the name of the parts of us that are not made at home. [\u2026]<\/p>\n Recognizing that identity politics takes place at the site where categories intersect thus seems more fruitful than challenging the possibility of talking about categories at all. Through an awareness of intersectionality, we can better acknowledge and ground the differences among us and negotiate the means by which these differences will find expression in contracting group politics.”<\/p>\n As human beings<\/b>, we don\u2019t have one-dimensional identities \u2013 we\u2019re all a combination of biological, social and cultural categories. We\u2019re living intersections, we\u2019re multi-dimensional. And so are the issues affecting us.<\/b><\/p>\n So when we are designing a technology, a tool, a policy to sort out an issue emerging in any of the domains constructing our lives<\/b> \u2013 politics, health care, security, labor, property, taxes, education, environment, media \u2013 adopting an intersectional perspective is greatly beneficial.<\/b><\/p>\n Intersectionality is a way to think holistically about how different forms of oppression (and privilege) interact in people\u2019s lives<\/b>, and as such is a concept with both a tremendous theoretical explanatory power and a substantial efficacy as an action strategy<\/b>. Critiques about the theory have also been expressed, criticising it as a divisive<\/b> approach which focuses on the differences between individuals instead of highlighting their commonalities to achieve a positive goal. But being aware of differences and act accordingly doesn\u2019t mean being divise nor accentuating tensions. Aiming to deeply and objectively understand the complexity of our society, the intersectional perspective has grown from a realistic and tangible way to describe an issue <\/b>to a precious tool to describe a solution<\/b>.<\/p>\n Equipped with it, it\u2019s now up to us making the most of the learnings achieved through an intersectional analysis of the issues we face, and create action plans (for soft- and hardware tools, platforms, strategies, advocacy campaigns, movements) which reflect that complexity.<\/p>\n There are plenty of projects and organisations adopting an\u00a0intersectional thinking in their work. I\u2019ll mention some, which don\u2019t aim to represent a comprehensive catalog of case studies, but more practically a few interesting cases which can be helpful in illustrating some of the infinite number of ways this approach can be adopted to build a tool or action.<\/p>\n Vozmob & Vojo<\/b><\/p>\n![\"AudreLorde3\"](\"http:\/\/beatricemartini.it\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/AudreLorde3.png\")
<\/a>Quote from Audre Lorde<\/a>‘s\u00a0Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches<\/a><\/em>.<\/small><\/p>\nA tool for action<\/h3>\n
\nThe decisions we take<\/b> as member of a society<\/b> (for example going to vote), as well as the methods we adopt to build tools<\/b> aiming to solve issues affecting us and others in any type of context (especially<\/i> contexts which are not part of our own individual experience, but that we\u2019re working to serve), would tangibly benefit not only from an understanding<\/b> of what intersectionality is, but also from applying its analysis <\/b>into the issues we\u2019re tackling.<\/p>\n