Tuesday 11 June 2013

Intersectionality and Privilege-Checking - NS Feminist Debate.


I recently listened to the NewStatesmen Feminism Debate podcast. The question that centred around the whole debate was 'What is the most important issue facing feminism today?'. The whole discussion interested me so much that I wanted to write my thoughts about some of the areas that came up.

Intersectionality

A definition: A theory which "holds that the classical models of oppression within society, such as those based on race/ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, class, species or disability do not act independently of one another; instead, these forms of oppression interrelate creating a system of oppression that reflects the “intersection” of multiple forms of discrimination.” 

Having listened to the debate and thought about it some more, intersectionality is something that seems kind of obvious to me, feminism is there to improve rights of women, but women are all so different and they experience things differently. So surely feminism, there to represent half the population, has a difficult job in representing all women. Thats were intersectionality comes in. It further proves as well that Feminism is not a one size fits all.

Another reason why its so important. - "Intersectionality allows the integration of systems of oppression – patriarchy, capitalism, racism, among others – to be identified, analysed, and challenged, and it provides a means of transcending and critiquing single-issue politics." - [link]

 The term was first coined in the 1980s. It was the theorist KimberlĂ© Williams Crenshaw who realised that Black Women in the US during the 1980s were suffering from both racial AND gender discrimination. Although the concept of intersectionality was heavily relevant and talked of in the 1980s, it has now become more and more used within discussions of feminism today. One of the panalist, Bim Adewunmi really made this clear in the NS debate.  She spoke of how Nikki Giavanni, a well known activist, was once asked a question, 'Where were the black women in the second wave equal rights movement?' and Giavanni replied - 'That wasn't our fight'. 


Many argue that the Feminism that is so well known is not representative of the progress of all women. This so called "Feminism" has only truly improved the lives of White, middle class women of the west. Feminism of the 1980s was hijacked by these women of privilege and used for their own benefit. This post is very interesting and talks more about the women's movement in the US and how it wasn't there to help black women.

Another article I found shows furthermore why intersectionality is important and what feminism should be about. Taken from the Open letter to the white feminist community. 
"Because feminism is not merely a movement about middle-class white women and their interests; it is about queer women and straight women and women of all colors. It is about making the world a better place for women and men alike, and it is a cause that should unite all of us."
Some have criticised intersectional feminists, saying that women need to focus on the bigger issues that effect all women, rather than having this in-fighting within the feminist community. But on the other hand, you surely can't expect someone to ignore issues such as race or class that are clearly integral parts of their identity.  Bim makes this very clear when she says 'If I am telling you that I have a migraine, don't tell me to focus exclusively on the gangrene eating away at my leg. There's time to treat both, no?' [Bim's article] 
This suggests that although the women's movement as a whole is important, this doesn't mean that the inequalities suffered by working class women or women of ethnic minorities can be swept away under the giant movement that is feminism and seen as a lesser issue. 

Privilege Checking?

Combined with the idea of intersectionality is the concept of 'privilege checking'. Some have  become very defensive at the term. I feel that it is something you just need to accept, and by accepting it you are in a better position to realise the difficulties of people less fortunate than you. Louise Mensch, a conservative MP is one person who has criticised this idea of privilege checking and asks for a return to "reality-based feminism". Laurie Penny responded to the whole area of controversy in a very clear way:
Actually, "privilege" isn't at all hard to understand. It just means any structural social advantage that you have by virtue of birth, or position – such as being white, being wealthy, or being a man. "Check your privilege" means "consider how your privilege affects what you have just said or done."
I agree with this alot. For people who write feminist publications, this is probably more difficult. The balance is between being so afraid of generalising that you only speak of your own experiences and at the same time not attempting to speak for all women, everywhere.

Zoe Williams in her Guardian article words it very well, the idea that being aware of your position, however privileged is not necessarily a bad thing, but just something one should be aware of.
"Reason to  "check your privilege" – not from some restrictive idea about how authentic you are, or whether you've endured the hardship to qualify as a progressive voice, but because not all prejudice is extinguished – some of it is just displaced. If someone else is taking the flak you would have got, in eras past, that flak is still your problem."

In Summary.

I found the theory of intersectionality very interesting but also very confusing, there is alot more I could read on the topic, and I haven't gone into much detail about it. One thing I think I can say is that intersectionality is very important, and people need to be aware of its necessity
Not being part of these minority groups does make me wary of discussing the problems for those groups, and in some ways its makes me more wary. I think the most important thing is that I am aware that each feminist's experience of inequality will be different, and if you find yourself disagreeing with a fellow feminist, take a step back, try and see it from their point of view. Listen more and talk less!
Just some of my thoughts. :)

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