Intersectionality and feminist movements from a global perspective

Abstract

The review article explores the concept of intersectionality within feminist movements from a global perspective. First, it reconstructs the origins of the concept. Second, it summarizes the main critical debates. Third, it gives an overview on the new wave of feminist movements, by exploring the way several movements from the North to the Global South have actively engaged with the concept of intersectionality into action. Finally, the article discusses opportunity and threats in the diffusion of the concept, both in the academic debate and in the field of collective action. The main takeaways of the article are: the emergence of the concept of intersectionality within the activism of women of color and Black feminism; the role of intersectionality as a critical analysis of power structures; the intersectional character of the new wave of feminist movements; the risks associated with the diffusion of the concept of intersectionality; the bleaching of intersectionality; and the co‐opting and depowering of the concept in an increasingly aggressive neo‐liberal order.