Intersectionality

When discussing the sexual politics of black womanhood, Patricia Hill Collins, addresses the topic of “intersecting oppressions.” The term refers to the oppressions a person who is a member of multiple minorities faces. “Sexuality, race, gender, and class,” (Collins 126) are all factors that play into intersecting oppressions—therefore, it is not surprising that the sexuality of black women is often used as an example of intersecting oppressions. There are, of course, many different examples…

While many feel education is the root of oppression, it is not the only institution in which oppression occurs. Paulo Freire extends the sentiment by presenting society as a constant struggle between two opposing forces. Freire believes teachers essentially oppress their students by maintaining the current society rather than encourage students to think for themselves. The result of free-thinking students is a recreation of a new society. Freire presents his main argument about education in his…

Merriam-Webster defines desire as followed: desire /dəˈzī(ə)r/ verb 1 to wish or long for; crave; want. 2 to express a wish to obtain; ask for; request. Desire is a very strong word for me. Not in the sense that it is hard to understand, but in the sense that it holds a lot of meaning. Personally, I desire a lot of things—stability, love, education. However, what I desire out of society is in a whole other ballpark. Systemic and systematic oppression still runs deep in the roots of our…

Oppression and privilege are topics that are not talked about in the manor that they should be. Those with privilege, on average, refuse to acknowledge the power they have and are therefore putting other people at risk with their oppressive behavior. Throughout history there has always been an issue with oppressive behaviour, dating as far back as ancient civilizations. The issue remains that though more are speaking out, the lack of education and acknowledgement from those in power support this…

Grapes of Wrath and Invisible Man Invisible Man and The Grapes of Wrath both exemplify American Classics that depict the history of the United States, but what else do they have in common? Both The Grapes of Wrath and Invisible Man exploit imagery in their text to expose how oppression has destroyed society. Also, both novels utilize the theme of survival to describe the struggles of those not in power. Additionally, John Steinbeck and Ralph Ellison use symbols as a way of revealing how the…

Shange’s use of language is also important to examine in the context of writing against the grain. The English language has been used to oppress black women for centuries. The stereotypes we see regarding black women in the spoken and written word, and the power that language has in shaping the way we think and act are impossible to ignore. Shange, in her interview with Luster, discusses the idea of “[l]anguage as a liberator” in conjunction with how women are oppressed through language, stating…

Oppression exist everywhere around us. At times, oppression may appear in places where society would not consider to be oppression. Freire once said that we must be aware when we are being oppressed before we can act on the oppression. (Pedagogy 49). In order for one to act on oppression, he must first be aware he is being oppressed. But a person will not know he is being oppressed until he has knowledge on what oppression means. Oppression is an act of dehumanization performed by people who…

I am applying intersectionality and the sociological imagination to my intersecting identities: gender, race, and class. By employing intersectionality and the sociological imagination, I am analyzing how my positionality affected my personal experiences while connecting those events with society. I am also employing the sociological imagination to five peer reviewed articles. In sociology, positionality examines one’s position of power and how their relationship is affected by social hierarchy.…

My two previous blog posts were created by merging my analysis of the topics mentioned with my own personal experiences. For today’s blog post, I would like to take a different approach in analyzing the modules presented in our class. Today, I would like to reply to a video I have seen posted on a friend’s Facebook wall. The video was created by Lauren Southern, a very outspoken anti-feminist. Currently living in Langley, she is part of the Libertarian Party and has studied Political Science at…

Violence against Aboriginal Women in Canada The rates of violence against aboriginal women is attributed to the intersectional, systemic oppression in societal construct and deep rooted racial discrimination in Canadian society. Through analyzation of recent academic articles and sources; core relating ideologies converge on the theme that social construct, ethnic marginalization and systemic racialization are factors which attribute with the victimization of violence in aboriginal women in…