Addressing social problems is complex, especially when viewing problems intersectionality. Intersectional application is the recognition of different forms of power and agency, or lack thereof, in an institution or society. Patricia Hill Collins (2015) describes intersectionality the best she can
The term intersectionality references the critical insight that race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nation, ability, and age operate not as unitary, mutually exclusive entities, but rather as reciprocally constructing phenomena (1).
Though the framework for this paper is one focused on gender and race; specifically looking at the experience of black and brown people on campus. Not every race and gender experiences the same agency on campus. …show more content…
Both work as a project that is constantly changing and socially constructed. Gender projects work very similarly to racial projects affecting everyone, but their are people that are affected more. Queer women of color on campus faced specific combined racial and gender projects. The first LGBT group on campus appeared in the 70s, yet a LGBT group for people of color was not made until 1994 (Williams, 2014). This asserts something about how queer people are understood and how minorities are understood. Queer people of color was not in the students purview of understanding, which is why it took 20 years for MSU students to make an organization. Conflict theory can be applied to both gender and race (Marx, 1997). Gender conflict theory, which is expressed well by both Simone de Beauvoir (1949) and Judith Butler (1990) where women are seen as the other to men. Men are in power and women are secondary to them, creating conflict. This is obvious at MSU with it’s history. MSU as an institution has always given men more power than women (Exhibits, 2016). Historically this is obvious, the school was made by men for men, and men have always been given precedence. The uneven power distribution reveals itself in a myriad of ways. With sports funding, how the campus deals with sexual assault cases, and the disappearance of women’s safe spaces and resources. Racial conflict theory works on similar terms as gender conflict theory (Omi and Winant, 1994). White is seen as the normative race, and white people exist with power and agency (1994). This creates conflict between white people and people of color. At MSU, brown and black people are the group most outwardly affected by racial conflict theory. Examples of racial conflict theory become clear when racial incidents happen. This past year a young white woman called a black woman an ape on social media, the school did not react to the event other than sending out a
The term intersectionality references the critical insight that race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nation, ability, and age operate not as unitary, mutually exclusive entities, but rather as reciprocally constructing phenomena (1).
Though the framework for this paper is one focused on gender and race; specifically looking at the experience of black and brown people on campus. Not every race and gender experiences the same agency on campus. …show more content…
Both work as a project that is constantly changing and socially constructed. Gender projects work very similarly to racial projects affecting everyone, but their are people that are affected more. Queer women of color on campus faced specific combined racial and gender projects. The first LGBT group on campus appeared in the 70s, yet a LGBT group for people of color was not made until 1994 (Williams, 2014). This asserts something about how queer people are understood and how minorities are understood. Queer people of color was not in the students purview of understanding, which is why it took 20 years for MSU students to make an organization. Conflict theory can be applied to both gender and race (Marx, 1997). Gender conflict theory, which is expressed well by both Simone de Beauvoir (1949) and Judith Butler (1990) where women are seen as the other to men. Men are in power and women are secondary to them, creating conflict. This is obvious at MSU with it’s history. MSU as an institution has always given men more power than women (Exhibits, 2016). Historically this is obvious, the school was made by men for men, and men have always been given precedence. The uneven power distribution reveals itself in a myriad of ways. With sports funding, how the campus deals with sexual assault cases, and the disappearance of women’s safe spaces and resources. Racial conflict theory works on similar terms as gender conflict theory (Omi and Winant, 1994). White is seen as the normative race, and white people exist with power and agency (1994). This creates conflict between white people and people of color. At MSU, brown and black people are the group most outwardly affected by racial conflict theory. Examples of racial conflict theory become clear when racial incidents happen. This past year a young white woman called a black woman an ape on social media, the school did not react to the event other than sending out a