Intersectionality

What is “intersectionality”? Here's what Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary says (Definition of INTERSECTIONALITY, 2025):

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intersectionality noun

in·​ter·​sec·​tion·​al·​i·​ty      in-tər-ˌsek-shə-ˈna-lə-tē  

1.  the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.

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Reading a definition from Merriam-Webster.com is always reliable, and I feel they have done a fine job with their definition of “intersectionality.” It is succinct and to the point – no frills. So maybe we should look to various scholars to elaborate on this definition? Patricia Hill Collins was the 100th President of the American Sociological Association (ASA), so it might be an understatement to say that she is a prominent figure in the field of Sociology. She was also the first African American woman to hold office as the President of the ASA. Regarding intersectionality, Collins found that different people had different interpretations and definitions of intersectionality, stating that “scholars and practitioners think they know intersectionality when they see it. More importantly, they conceptualize intersectionality in dramatically different ways when they use it.” (Yang, 2024) With everyone seeming to have their own definition, she desired to produce a definition that would be acceptable to the academic community at large. And five years ago, in 2020, Collins and Sirma Bilge offered up the following general definition of intersectionality:

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“Intersectionality investigates how intersecting power relations influence social relations across diverse societies as well as individual experiences in everyday life. As an analytic tool, intersectionality views categories of race, class, gender, sexuality, class, nation, ability, ethnicity, and age - among others - as interrelated and mutually shaping one another. Intersectionality is a way of understanding and explaining complexity in the world, in people, and in human experiences.” (Yang, 2024)

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Yet, even with this improved definition provided by Collins and Bilge, many researchers who study inequality and discrimination still pay little attention to intersectionality. For example, in the fourth edition of Social Stratification (2019) edited by David Grusky, thought by many to be the most comprehensive reader on social inequality, only two out of more than 130 articles are about intersectionality. Most of the papers included are all about one factor alone – either race, or gender, or class. And in Keister and Southgate’s Inequality: A Contemporary Approach to Race, Class and Gender, the authors explain inequality among each of these dimensions separately, and do not mention the intersectionality between these dimensions at all (Yang, 2024).

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So why is intersectionality overlooked? It does not seem to be an overly wordy, complex topic to understand. Maybe the Oxford Dictionary’s definition would be easier to understand – they define intersectionality as “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage” (Coombes, 2019). By acknowledging intersectionality, we are simply acknowledging that everyone has their own UNIQUE experience of discrimination and oppression, and anything and everything that can marginalize people – their gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and so on – should be considered. People are not just a gender, or not just a race. They are a combination of all these things, and each person’s unique construction creates a distinct experience of discrimination and oppression for them than it does for someone else who has a different construction.

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Womankind Worldwide is a global women’s rights organization based out of the UK. In a 2019 article by Bridie Taylor entitled Intersectionality 101: what is it and why is it important?, Taylor lists ways how one can become a more intersectional ally. Taylor’s article is specifically focused on women’s rights, and deservedly so, as intersectionality is a key component to understanding violence against women. For example, women and girls with disabilities are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience domestic violence than women without disabilities (Coombes, 2019). So Taylor’s list of how to be an intersectional ally is aimed towards people who are involved in women’s rights and want to be a more intersectional ally, but this list can also be applied to us, as librarians, if we want to be a more intersectional ally to the marginalized groups that we serve in our libraries. I have quoted Taylor verbatim for this list, as their language is powerful and perfect the way it is:

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“What can I do?

• Check your privilege: And look beyond just skin color. Middle class? University level education? Able-bodied? Cis-gender? All your social identities play into your ‘privilege,’ even if you didn’t ask for it. Reflect on these and consider how this impacts the discrimination you do and don’t experience.

• Listen and learn: At its very core, intersectionality is about learning and understanding views from other women. Listen to, include, and meaningfully collaborate with diverse groups of women. Hear and honor their words. But remember it’s not the responsibility of marginalized groups to do all the work in educating people on their experiences. This often takes up lots of emotional labor and should never be taken for granted so be prepared to help undertake some of the labor by doing your own research.

• Make space: Ask yourself if you’re the right person to take up space or speak on certain issues. Centre stories and actions on those with the lived experiences. Don’t speak for them, don’t speak over them.

• Watch your language: So many of the words we use every day are ableist, exclusionary and downright offensive to marginalized communities. When was the last time you said “ah, that’s so lame!” when you were annoyed by something? Consider how someone with a physical impairment might hear this. Recognize and correct your use of such terms. Accept criticism and call others out. As we become more intersectional and better at understanding differences, our language evolves to simply reflecting experiences from people of a singular identity.” (Coombes, 2019)

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In your work at the library, whether you work with the neurodiverse, people with disabilities, or some other marginalized group, it is important that we view our patrons not through the lens of being a single “thing.” A patron is not their gender, or their ability/disability, or their sexuality. They are a combination of all these unique things that make us our own unique individual. And these unique things create our own experiences. So, view each patron through the lens of intersectionality and understand that each patron’s life experience is going to be different from the next, and use this as an opportunity to make each patron’s experience with you a unique experience.

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