Intersectionality

Audre Lorde argues that there is ‘no hierarchy of oppressions’- that to each, their oppression is as haunting and tyrannical as it is to the other. Lorde’s belief system entailed the concept of inclusivity- that no single ‘oppression’ could be fought alone, since this oppression, although experienced in different ways is, the fact of this oppression blankets over identities across the globe. It would be, according to her, fruitless to create such a hierarchy because one would find themselves facing a multiplicity of oppressions all occurring at once.  As a natural solution, only collective action can salvage one from such ruthless persecution. Kimberly Crenshaw believes that in order to truly understand and tackle gender based violence it is necessary to understand the locus of this violence. Class, race, and gender not only intersect with one another, but also interact with a number of pre-existing burdens and vulnerabilities which leads to further disempowerment. 

Identity politics plays a large part in the attempt to fight systems of oppression. Women of colour are often forced to ally themselves with either their race/ethnicity or their gender because mainstream anti-racist and feminist discources do not accept or acknowledge hollisticity of identity, which puts these women at a further disadvantage. They are then obligated to one cause, while still being oppressed by the other- not because that particular oppression or injustice is worse than the other, but because of the manner in which popular discourses are constructed. Here, Audre Lorde and Kimberly Chenshaw come to an agreement- the systems of justice that are currently operating are unable to reconcile women of colour because the policies that are currently in place do not take into account the various dimensions of injustices and oppression that they face. Take, for example, the instance of the Latino woman seeking shelter that she relates in her article. The woman, who ran away from her husband with her teenage child due to his threats of murdering them, was forced into homelesness for two days where she was mugged, twice. The shelter she contacted refused to take her in because she could not speak in English, and one of their requirements for taking in women was that they had to partake in group therapy sessions. Instead of considering the seriousness of her situation, the woman and her child were refused shelter and forced into a dangerous and helpless situation because of a language barrier and a policy that was essentially of no practical use.  

Female victims of colour benefit greatly from intersectional politics, as it realises the multiplicity of oppression. We must create a movement and fight for the implementation of policies that are able to take into account the uniquely multifaceted disadvantages that women of color have to face on a daily basis, and it is only through these policies that we will be able to properly combat cycles of oppression.