This guide provides resources and information about intersectionality within the practice of social work. Intersectionality refers to the intersection of identities that shapes an individual's experiences throughout society.
Notable article:
Crenshaw, Kimberle (1989) "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics," University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 1989: Iss. 1, Article 8. Available at: http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8
The term, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, describes the overlapping and intersecting social identities that often affect and inform how we move around society. Often these identities are related to systems of oppression, domination and discrimination. Intersecting identities are not mutually exclusive, but rather work together to construct how one is perceived in society. The framework proposes that these identities need to be considered simultaneously and that they reflect an overarching analysis of power hierarchies present within identities (Cooper, 2015).