Demarginalizing women of color in intersectionality scholarship in psychology: A Black feminist critique

Abstract

Psychology's disciplinary interests and methodological norms lead psychologists to look for intersectionality at the level of individuals and variables, with an attendant focus on identities rather than social structures of inequality. Accordingly, many social science approaches reframe intersectionality as a tool to understand complexity, rather than oppression and liberation. At the same time, social science scholars deploying intersectionality frameworks have moved the focus of the analytic framework away from the particular subject position and social location of Black women and the vulnerabilities they face. In these ways, even at a moment when intersectionality is exceedingly visible in social science, including psychology, women of color are not visible in that success. These trends represent not only an injustice but also a threat to the radical potential of intersectionality to transform scholarship and practice. This article aims to recenter women of color in this special issue by discussing what the collected papers can tell us about the lives of women of color, their status as creators of knowledge, and useful approaches for deploying intersectionality frameworks within psychology.

Developmental Trajectories of Science Identity Beliefs: Within-Group Differences among Black, Latinx, Asian, and White Students

“…Complementary research needs to focus on the variability within each racial/ethnic group in order to identify those who are succeeding in science. This emphasis on within-group variability is crucial in preventing the erasure of marginalized groups (Cole, 2020 ; Syed et al, 2018 ) and helps counter common racial/ethnic stereotypes, including that Black and Latinx students do not want to pursue science. College generation status and gender could help identify within-group differences as these characteristics are associated with students’ pursuit of science and motivational beliefs, including science identity (Engle, 2007 ; Harackiewicz et al, 2016 ).…”

Embracing my jihad: An intersectional approach to understanding Muslim Filipino women activists’ construction of the self as agents of change.

“…To maximize its radical potential for social transformation, intersectionality must then be utilized to reveal the nuances of how identity structures power and vice versa and how particular actions and ideologies maintain or disrupt the status quo (Cole, 2020; Overstreet et al, 2020). In doing these, we can engage intersectionality towards stewardship and stay true to its core purpose of dismantling oppression and promoting social justice (Buchanan & Wiklund, 2021; Cole, 2020).…”

Introduction to the Special Issue

“…At the heart of its philosophical underpinnings, intersectionality draws from a significant body of theory to undergird its history in Black feminism (Bilge, 2013;Cole, 2020;Collins, 2019;Moradi & Grzanka, 2017). Although Crenshaw (1989) and Collins (1986) served as visible forerunners in the intersectionality movement, pundits of intersectionality should consider the works of several women of color and queer women of color who were instrumental in foregrounding intersectionality's theoretical foundations (e.g., Anzaldúa, 1987;Combahee River Collective, 1977/1995Davis, 1983;hooks, 1984;Lorde, 1984;Moraga & Anzaldúa, 1983).…”