(Originally shared September 20, 2023)
Like any group, DEI practitioners use jargon as a shortcut to convey specific meanings that may be unclear or confusing to anyone unfamiliar with the terms. As part of our DEI Bulletin series, we will be exploring some key terms used to describe important DEI concepts. If there’s a term you’d like us to explore, contact Anna Katharine or Amara, or you can submit a suggestion anonymously.
Intersectionality is a lens or framework used to help understand how different aspects of a person’s identity combine to shape the way they are viewed, understood, and treated. Coined by law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw ’81 in 1989, intersectionality grew out of the observation that courts of law viewed discrimination cases based on a single identity, rather than the accumulation of a person’s identities. This concept had previously been described by black women in the 1970’s who felt that the feminist movement ignored that black women suffered the additive effects of sexism and racism, and that the harms of each type of oppression couldn’t be logically (or legally) separated.
The popularity of intersectionality grew quickly in academic circles, moving from law schools to studies of race, gender, ability, age, social class, and other factors that can result in social inequality. It broke into the public sphere during the 2017 Women’s March, where intersectional feminism once again became a matter of public debate.
When jargon becomes mainstream speech, nuanced definitions are lost, and ‘intersectionality’ is no exception. Crenshaw and other legal scholars are concerned that the word has lost its original legal meaning and now is applied somewhat sloppily in activist circles and erroneously by critics seeking to define it as ‘identity politics.’
Legal theory and politicization aside, the most relevant definition of intersectionality for practical use is found in the Oxford Dictionary of Social Work & Social Care, which can be summarized as the combined effects of one’s multiple identities, including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and employee status.
How to use the Intersectionality framework as a D.E.I. approach
- Reflect on your own social identity, as defined by your membership in various social groups. Understanding what influences your own point of view provides a lens for recognizing how different identities can affect your life experiences.
- Reject stereotypes. Just as you are a unique combination of many social factors, so is everyone else. Before basing assumptions on easily visible identities (gender, race, or ability) consider what unseen factors may also impact a person’s life experience.
- Approach new perspectives with curiosity. When you encounter points of view that seem challenging, try to understand the social identities that may have shaped them. Seeking out TV shows, books, or podcasts by creators with different social identities can shed light on other experiences.
At AgriTech we grow things, including our appreciation for new points of view.
Sincerely,
Anna Katharine Mansfield and Amara Dunn
AgriTech DEI Council co-chairs