Doing Justice to Intersectionality in Research

Abstract

Intersectionality involves the study of the ways that race, gender, disability, sexuality, class, age, and other social categories are mutually shaped and interrelated through forces such as colonialism, neoliberalism, geopolitics, and cultural configurations to produce shifting relations of power and oppression. The concept does not always offer a clear set of tools for conducting social research. Instead, it offers varied strands of thought, pointing to different methodologies and methods for doing intersectional research. In this article, we trace the genealogy of intersectionality as theory and methodology to identify challenges in translating the concept into research methods, and we review debates about what we identify as three “critical movements” in the intersectionality literature, comprising contestations regarding the theory’s aims, scope, and axioms, in scholarship and research. Finally, we consider how these critical movements can offer researchers some guiding ethical principles for doing intersectionality justice in social research.

Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Approaches Needed to Determine Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults and Aging: CAG/ACG andCJA/RCVJoint Statement

“…At present, the research industry and media are emphasizing clinical trials and intervention-based research on COVID-19. However, even the most medically oriented area of work should also take into account social factors through the inclusion of social scientists and humanists, and through the use of relevant and critical theoretical tools such as intersectionality (Rice, Harrison, & Friedman, 2019), health equity (Marmot & Allen, 2014), and precarity (Grenier, Lloyd, & Phillipson, 2017). These are just some of many potential starting points for understanding the broader social structures that influence the COVID-19 contexts for diverse older people.…”

La nécessité des approches interdisciplinaires et collaboratives pour évaluer l’impact de la COVID-19 sur les personnes âgées et le vieillissement: déclaration conjointe de l’ACG / CAG et de la RCV / CJA

“…À l'heure actuelle, les milieux de recherche et les médias accordent une importance majeure aux essais cliniques et à la recherche fondée sur l'intervention contre la COVID-19. Toutefois, même les domaines les plus centrés sur l'approche médicale devraient prendre en considération les facteurs sociaux, en incluant des spécialistes des sciences sociales et humaines, et en ayant recours à des outils théoriques appropriés et critiques, tels que l'intersectionnalité (Rice, Harrison et Friedman, 2019), l'équité en matière de santé (Marmot et Allen, 2014), et la précarité (Grenier, Lloyd, et Phillipson, 2017). Ce sont là quelques exemples des nombreux points de départ potentiels pour comprendre les structures sociales plus vastes qui influencent les contextes marqués par la COVID-19 pour les diverses populations de personnes âgées.…”

Applying an intersectionality lens to the theoretical domains framework: a tool for thinking about how intersecting social identities and structures of power influence behaviour

“…As a central theoretical concept and social justice framework, intersectionality provides a way to consider individual experiences within larger social contexts, highlighting how various intersections structure our everyday lives and interactions [24][25][26]. Initially developed by black feminist and critical race scholars in the 1980s [13], intersectionality has since grown to more broadly emphasize "the multiple 'axes' of power and difference that shape individuals' positionalities" [27]. In other words, an individual's lived experience cannot be reduced to a single characteristic, experiences can change over time and in different contexts, and privilege (i.e., social advantage) and oppression (i.e., social disadvantage) can be experienced simultaneously [13][14][15][16].…”