User:Pkooner/Intersectionality

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Intersectionality is an underrated analytical framework that emerged from critical race studies and was first coined by black feminist Kimberlè Williams Crenshaw. This framework brings to light how the interconnectedness of categories such as race, gender, sexuality, class, caste, disability, etc work as unified systems of oppression. It has been identified in the works of international scholarships, majority of the research being done regarding intersectionality is by North American scholars, is based on information and experiences of the West, as well as based on gender and race. As a result, the different axes of intersectionality are left untouched and not discussed, for example North American intersectionality is heavily based on Black women, but to truly understand intersectionality, one must look at it internationally as well as explore all the categories that fall under the large umbrella of intersectionality.

International Intersectionality: India
Intersectionality presents itself in different ways around the world, in India it is heavily presented through the sexual violence of lower caste, and class women. Through the works of Dey and Orton it is uncovered majority of the people who face the most sexual violence in India belong to all three categories simultaneously: female, a lower caste and the minority group. A strong example of this would be the Dalit women in India, these women are one of the most susceptible to violence as they belong to the above listed three categories. A contribution to their predisposition to violence can also be illiteracy, living in rural areas , and unacceptance. Statistics also show that the men that belong to the same minority groups as well as same caste do not face the same amount of sexual violence as the females, exemplifying how the interconnectedness of the three categories works. This does not mean that men belonging to lower castes and minority groups do not face discrimination or violence, as they do too, just not as much as their female counterparts. This is not the case in regards to sexual violence only, in general women who belong to minority groups as well as lower castes face the most amount of discrimination in India. This discrimination involves being alienated, illiterate, impoverished, low wages, etc. The lion's share of problems in India are linked or directly tied to caste and gender, but the authorities as well as public policies fail to recognize this. The public policies put into place in India do not fully grasp the concept of intersectionality to its full extent, and as a result multiple axis groups such as single Dalit women continute to face inequalities, discrimination and violence.

Indian scholar Narayanamoorthy also notes how intersectionality can be used to create safer online spaces. This is said as when one understands intersectionality, they understand when people lie at the intersects of multiple categories of intersectionality they produce an unique experience of oppression that may not be experienced the same way as others do.

Critiques of Intersectionality from India
It has been noticed, the experiences of women of colour are often times intertwined with them being the less dominate gender; women, as well as race. But intersectionality is not only about gender and race, there are multiple axes missed within scholarly work regarding intersectionality. For example, a Black woman without a doubt is discriminated against preponderantly compared to her female counterparts but a Black, uneducated, disabled woman is further deteriorated. Despite this problem in intersectionality being identified, majority of the research and majority of the problems in India are directly related to caste and gender. It is proven to be difficult to avoid discussing caste and gender or race and gender together as the women belonging from lower castes are some of the most oppressed groups of people across the world.

In Menon's 2015 research, it has been stated " intersectionality as a universal framework does not help us capture the complexity that the categories 'women', 'caste', or 'race' are stable or homogenous categories".