Presenter: Dr Rachel Robbins

Intersectionality has been a part of the Black Feminist lexicon since 1989 when it was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in her ground-breaking article Demarginalising the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of anti-discrimination doctrine, feminist theory and anti-racist politics. However, the concept of intersecting axis of oppression producing marginalised subjects has long been a part of Black Feminist Theory and Activism. 

Intersectionality is enjoying its moment, being regularly evoked both within and without academia – but often it is reduced to a shorthand for “tickboxing” identity politics. This means that the activist impulse, which critiques marginalisation as a process of context and power, can be lost. Therefore, rather than looking at intersectionality as a call for increased categories and boundaries, this seminar aims to explore its potential to disrupt the process of categorisation. 

Using examples from the edited book Intersectionality in Social Work: Activism and Practice in Context (eds. Nayak and Robbins), the seminar looks at context as the agent of production of marginalised positions. It hopes to show that through a critique of context, activism can take on the ‘inevitability of neo-liberalism’ and decentre privileged identities.