Standing up to Intersectional Discrimination: a Multi-dimensional Approach to the Case of Spain

Toward the Implementation of Intersectionality in the European Multilevel Legal Praxis: B. S. v. Spain

“…Finally, microlevel analysis reveals the personal conditions that facilitated the activation of the legal process. Although micro factors have received less attention in previous literature, we concur with Jubany et al () on the importance of incorporating them into research on multiple intersecting discriminations. Our analysis reveals the complexity of the relationship between oppression and power, and how individual privilege and resources, such as legal status and political awareness, can strengthen agency, resist oppression, and enable access to justice.…”

“…Our analysis also suggests that the meso conditions are essential for implementing intersectionality through litigation, especially in contexts of weak institutionalization, such as in Spain. We distinguish between three factors: the training of law practitioners (Satterthwaite ; Jubany et al ), the roles of third‐party interveners (Van Den Eynde ; Cichowski ), and the strategies of alliance among social actors (Williams ; Goldberg ; Lombardo & Rolandsen ; Alonso ). First, training law practitioners in the field of multiple intersecting discriminations—which is currently absent from the law school curricula in most of European countries—is vital for the implementation of intersectionality.…”

“…The factors that might facilitate the implementation of intersectionality in European legal praxis remain largely unexplored. Some studies have already noted the potential impact of laws and existing legal paradigms (Hannett ; Radacic ; Burri & Schiek ), the roles of actors and law practitioners (Satterthwaite ; Goldberg ; Jubany et al ), and the subjective experiences of those who have suffered discrimination (Jubany et al ).…”

“…The factors that relate to the roles and strategies of all actors that interpret and apply the legal norms, as well as the dynamics and relationship between them (Goldberg ; Alonso ; Lombardo & Bustelo ; Rolandsen ), are referred to as meso factors. Finally, the factors that involve the subjective experiences (Jubany et al ), social positioning, and agency of the victims of discrimination are categorized as micro.…”

“There is LGBTQ Life Beyond the Big City”: Discourses, Representations and Experiences in Two Medium-Sized Spanish Cities

“…Thus, for example, for the woman cited in the previous quote, the fact that she was coming out of a sentimental break was decisive in perceiving Girona in an emancipatory way and a place full of opportunities. Hence, the intersectional approach is also critical in understanding that the forms of discrimination and exclusion in our society are many and very complex, and so are the forms of resistance and the intersections between them (Jubany, Güell & Davis, 2011). Cities become places of significance that channel personal experiences and make urban resources available to the subject, but the subject (re)models them, (re)signifies and (re)uses them, according to their own needs, possibilities and circumstances.…”