‘The Disadvantages and Privileges of Intersectional Identities’

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Deconstructing Realities Blog x Samajik Sociology Magazine, 2022

A collaboration between the Sociology Departments of St. Xavier’s College and Sophia College for Women, Mumbai.

Audrey Lorde states, “There’s no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”

   Our identities are unique, the contexts we come from even more so, thus, making our lived experiences different from the individuals we interact with. Intersectionality recognizes the linkages between various forms of oppression arising out of every individual’s layered identity. Intersectionality stems out of the understanding that no two individuals have the same experience of discrimination and oppression and all their identity markers such as race, socio-economic status, cultural capital, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, (dis)ability, spirituality, immigration/refugee status, language, and education which may hold the potential to further marginalize them or provide them privilege. 

   Often, the discrimination or entitlement is so deeply embedded within the system that it appears as legitimate. This calls upon the need to analyse the strategies for creating inclusivity within institutional spaces. Intersectionality offers a multifaceted connection between all social groups, thus, allowing us to look at the advantages that privilege offers. Thus, there is a need to analyse the power dynamics that play out when different social identities are concerned.

Themes to explore:

(Please send in your submissions on the basis of the given themes)

• Social categories and structures majorly determining the gatekeeping or unbiased nature of opportunities.
• The discussion around ableism and need for inclusivity in different sectors.
• The role and influence of appropriate representation and inclusivity in media.
• Gender pay gap, the mindsets that motivate this discrimination and the role of the constitution in permeating it.
• Attempts to create reasonable provisions and reservations for disadvantaged groups.

Word Limit:

1500 - 2000 words

Submission and publication timeline:

First Draft submission- Tuesday, 1st March, 2022

Selection process and first round of edits.

Final Draft submission- Saturday, 5th March, 2022

Final round of edits

Publication date- Thursday, 10th March, 2022