• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Women's Legacy Project
  • Home
  • About
  • How To Curate
  • Our Collective Legacy
  • Writing Online Memoir
  • Blog
Women's Legacy Project > Blog > KNOW > Theory > Intersectionality and Legacy

Intersectionality and Legacy

Written by: womenslegacy
Published: June 21, 2016 -- Last Modified: June 21, 2016
11 Comments

Intersectionality is a concept applied by black feminists, womanists, to the additive nature of inclusion in non-dominant social groups.  Poverty, class, male privilege, and white privilege all reinforce and strengthen the dominant norms of wealth, class, male privilege, and white privilege from which other norms are derived such as beauty, worth, and intelligence.
I like the concept that intersecting cultural factors create a societal mesh that is not easily disrupted, dissembled, and changed.
Morgan Sessions girl and approaching storm from unsplash.com
I am also fascinated by neglected energetic principles of social organization.
Where we put our energy, and upon what we focus feeds the maintenance of those societal elements.  I choose, most often to focus on supporting what I want to see come about, not because of any Pollyanna naiveté, but rather because I want to see the existing and unacceptable state of things wither and die on the vine while other states bloom.
This is a matter of focus and framing.  Ferocity need not be scrapped.
A person may be a woman, a member of a group of color, socio-economically challenged, an LBGTQ group member, physically disabled, emotionally scarred, and membership in all these groups if framed through structures of the defining groups collectively end up defining her through the mindset of dominant groups.
The term “radical kindness” is being bantered about in feminist and womanist circles.  From my systems and semiotic perspective, this is a very good thing. Peace and compassion can be fierce.
Why not say we are human, vivid, busy, loving, unique, and experienced.  That reframes woman, of color, poor, non-CIS, disabled, and damaged in positive language.
Because the legacy of women is growing and blossoming at this moment in time, we have a chance within this area to grow an inclusive, positive perspective that ultimately defines more than half the human race.  Surely we must do this.
Blessings to us all.
 

Categories: Featured Stories, TheoryTags: energy, feminist, fierce compassion, focus, framing, intersectionality, Legacy, new paradigm, radical kindness, reframing, reinforcement, systems, womanist, women's legacy project, women's role in the new paradigm

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org
Previous Post: « A Strawberry Solstice Moon
Next Post: Take Me as I Say Not as I Do »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carol Cassara

    June 21, 2016 at 1:19 pm

    I love your reframing. I love love love it. It’s a better way to look at ‘us’. See my post later this week, which is sort of whiny.

    Reply
    • Nancy Hill

      June 21, 2016 at 1:31 pm

      You couldn’t possibly whine! Will look for it though.

      Reply
  2. Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski

    June 21, 2016 at 2:29 pm

    Cool image. I believe in the power of thought and focusing on what I want to see come about as if it has already happened.

    Reply
    • Nancy Hill

      June 21, 2016 at 3:46 pm

      Yes. Staying focused on positive outcomes is essential!

      Reply
  3. Helene Cohen Bludman

    June 21, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    i like the idea of reframing using the qualities you mention and disbanding with labels that don’t really define the whole woman.

    Reply
    • Nancy Hill

      June 21, 2016 at 5:02 pm

      Of course you do! You are a critical thinker.

      Reply
  4. peppylady (Dora)

    June 21, 2016 at 6:26 pm

    love the expression on her face….I can see many different emotions.
    Coffee is on

    Reply
    • Nancy Hill

      June 22, 2016 at 9:51 am

      The image is my Morgan Session from pixabay or unsplash, can’t remember at the moment. Amazing isn’t it.

      Reply
  5. sue

    June 21, 2016 at 8:51 pm

    I totally agree with your thoughts about reframing and referring to human, vivid, loving,unique, experienced – I’m not a big fan of labels.

    Reply
  6. Mithra Ballesteros

    June 21, 2016 at 9:31 pm

    Thought provoking post. I would love to read more of your writing on this topic.

    Reply
    • Nancy Hill

      June 22, 2016 at 9:30 am

      Thank you Mithra. I do write about feminist theory and social change from time to time. What subtopic would you like more on?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Recent Posts

  • Ending, and Beginning
  • For Our Daughters
  • Stand and Write
  • Context and Little Things
  • A Month is Just a Month… as Time Goes By
  • Processing Two Very Different Deaths
  • A Dehydrated and Delusional Friend Found Wandering in 100° Heat
  • About Women’s Legacy & Hill Research
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Archives

Powered by
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
View my Flipboard Magazine.

© 2023, Nancy Hill, Women's Legacy Project of Hill Research Services, LLC

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT