Intersectionality

Abstract

Intersectionality is an influential feminist paradigm that aids in analysing instances of oppression that arise out of a combination of marginalizing forces - namely, but certainly not limited to, race, class and gender. In particular, intersectionality offers a useful approach to explain how the interaction of these factors results in forms of discrimination that are fundamentally different from any of these considerations on their own. Amanda Burgess-Proctor proposes intersectionality as a broader intervention for criminology, suggesting that its use can achieve 'universal relevance and is free from the shortcomings of past ways of thinking'. Feminists, both within and beyond criminology, have employed intersectionality to shift analyses from the pursuit of truth-claims about marginalized identities to concerns of representation, including the limits of trying to represent those whose experiences are not captured by traditional empirical measures or broader discourse. Feminist criminological calls for an intersectional criminology vary in focus and scope.