Intersectionality changes the way people view feminism by acknowledging differences in experiences and identities among women. Many people in today’s society fall under multiple categories based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality and disability, making it impossible to arrange each individual into a single category. This categorization dilemma especially leads to many societal problems when dealing with social and political equity. Because of these issues, intersectionality has become a crucial element in feminism. There are many examples of reasons why we need intersectionality throughout many of the Ted talks and stories we have heard in class.
The one reading I remember the most is Mapping the Margins by Kimberle Crenshaw. In this paper, she talks about a woman who was turned away from a woman’s shelter for not speaking English. In this case, they should have looked at her specific situation and tried to help instead of immediately categorizing her based on language and ability to communicate. This is a prime example of why intersectionality benefits feminism. Without it, people can end up getting denied goods and services that are freely provided to others. Restrictions and rules are not always a bad thing, but when we deny considering the differences among situations, we can end up excluding more than we include. With Intersectionality, the situation could have been that they would have looked for a translator and listened to her story to find out her needs. With a translator, they could have been able to work with her more to find an appropriate method of dealing with her specific circumstances instead of turning her away without communicating.
Another reading that made me think about intersectionality was The Treatment of Bibi Haldar by Jhumpa Lahiri.This reading made me think about how important intersectionality is when trying to find ways to help someone. This story especially made me think of this because of Bibi’s situation. Bibi fits into multiple categories because she is without her parents, she has some type of illness or disability, she lives with her cousin, and she is poor. Because she fits into multiple categories, I feel it would have been important to consider everything she had been through before they tried fixing her with cures based off of their own experiences or the experiences of the majority. One experience in particular that made me think of this was the part where the doctor tries to suggest that Bibi needed sex in order to be cured from her illness. This made me think about how categorizing can lead to jumping to conclusions. Trying to fix a specific problem without knowing the full scope of a situation can be dangerous and make a problem worse. That is why I feel Bibi could have benefited from others thinking with a more intersectional mindset.
Something I have learned in this class is that Looking at a person’s life with an intersectional lens helps you better understand their experiences in society. For example, In the novel Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak. You learn about Peri’s life and her experiences in detail which helps you better understand the struggles she goes through with her faith, culture, and emotions. Peri fits into multiple categories in society because she is Muslim, female, a college student, and does not have a strong stance on her religion. During the novel, she goes through a challenging time finding a job while she is in college and with all of the background you learn about her, you understand her struggle. She also goes through the tragic events on 9/11 and has to deal with the discrimination of her culture. In the Ted Talk What its Like to be a Muslim in America by Dalia Mogahed, she talks about the events of 9-11 from her perspective. She explained how her life completely changed and how society now looked at her as a suspect for being Muslim. This shows how categorizing people based on race can create problems in many aspects of someone’s life. Without looking at her as an individual, they don’t get to see the positive aspects of her life and her culture.
Lastly, Intersectionality helps us understand equity vs. equality. Intersectionality looks at a person’s differences in experiences and recognizes that they can’t fit into one category. Through those different experiences, we are able to look into what hardships a person faces and where they are struggling. This helps us understand equity better because we can better understand who needs an advantage in order to be at an equal standing with everyone else at a societal level. Some people have disadvantages in their life, and we cannot find that out without looking at them as an individual. If we were to look at everyone in categories, we would end up giving advantages to people who do not need them. When we do this, everyone is stuck at the same place they were before when you compare them to each other. Even though it is equal to give everyone the same amount, that does not put them in an equal place at the end of the day when some have less than others.
Throughout this class, I have learned that intersectionality can play a key role in understanding a person’s experiences. Intersectionality also has a major impact in the way people are treated whether it is when looking for services or finding employment. Before this class, I did not realize how important it was to not categorize people. After learning more about intersectionality, I realize how much of an impact it has and how important it is to talk to everyone on an individual level to get to know their experiences. Learning the benefits of intersectionality and the harmful effects has also taught me to be more aware of categorization in my own life and lead me to adapting a more intersectional mindset. Overall, I think Intersectionality can make a positive impact in society and continues to be an important aspect of feminism.
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