intersectional
Where oppressions meet
Intersectional describes how different aspects of a person's identity—such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and disability—combine to create unique experiences of discrimination or privilege.
The term comes from legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw's work showing that a Black woman's experience of bias differs from what either Black men or white women face.
An intersectional approach to feminism considers how race and class shape women's lives differently.
The framework has spread from academia into broader social justice discourse.
Male-dominated social order
- misogynyHostility toward women
- sexismGender-based prejudice
- womanismBlack female-focused social theory
- genderSocial identity category
allyship · solidarity · coalition · empowerment · marginalization · representation · activism · advocacy
Having many dimensions
- overlappingCovering part of another
- layeredHaving multiple levels
- complexityState of being complicated
- positionalityContext shaping one's viewpoint
selfhood · subjectivity · embodiment · hyphenated · code-switching · passing · visibility · erasure
Impartial treatment or ownership value
- inclusionBeing made part
- liberationRelease from constraint
- anti-racismCombating ethnic discrimination actively
- anti-oppressionCountering unjust control
centering · amplifying · decolonizing · transformative · restorative · reparative · accountability · solidarity
Engaging by overlap
- compoundingElements merging progressively
- systemicAffecting an entire structure
- structuralRelating to building framework
- institutionalOf formal establishments
marginalization · discrimination · prejudice · exclusion · disenfranchisement · inequity · subjugation · powerlessness
Underlying support system
- analysisMethodical study of parts
- lensLight-focusing curved glass
- discourseFormal communication on subjects
- praxisCustomary action or application
epistemology · postcolonialism · subaltern · hegemony · deconstruction
patriarchy
Male-dominated social order
- misogynyHostility toward women
- sexismGender-based prejudice
- womanismBlack female-focused social theory
gender · allyship · solidarity · coalition · empowerment · marginalization · representation · activism · advocacy · sisterhood
multifaceted
Having many dimensions
- overlappingCovering part of another
- layeredHaving multiple levels
- complexityState of being complicated
positionality · selfhood · subjectivity · embodiment · hyphenated · code-switching · passing · visibility · erasure · authenticity
equity
Impartial treatment or ownership value
- inclusionBeing made part
- liberationRelease from constraint
- anti-racismCombating ethnic discrimination actively
anti-oppression · centering · amplifying · decolonizing · transformative · restorative · reparative · accountability · solidarity · coalition-building
interlocking
Engaging by overlap
- compoundingElements merging progressively
- systemicAffecting an entire structure
- structuralRelating to building framework
institutional · marginalization · discrimination · prejudice · exclusion · disenfranchisement · inequity · subjugation · powerlessness · vulnerability
framework
Underlying support system
- analysisMethodical study of parts
- lensLight-focusing curved glass
- discourseFormal communication on subjects
praxis · epistemology · postcolonialism · subaltern · hegemony · deconstruction
intersectionalessentialist
Believer in fixed natures
reductionist · siloed · monolithic · one-dimensional · single-issue
- intersection pointWhere two lines meet
- intersectional feminismActivism recognizing layered discriminations