An individual’s identity has many dimensions. These dimensions, race, gender, age, sexuality, etc. do not exist in isolation. As the term “intersectionality” emphasizes, they work collectively to affect our experiences and behaviors in relation to inequality, injustice, exploitation, and oppression. Offering us a means for analyzing how these systems of privilege and inequality impact individuals, groups and communities differently, as well as how these systems and experiences of discrimination change over time and within different social and political contexts, intersectionality becomes a powerful tool for effectively addressing human rights violations. It has even branched as a subsection of feminism: intersectional feminism. In relation to the passage “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (1988) by Peggy McIntosh and this composition, the knowledge of color consistency not only increases the understanding and appreciation of the different ways that artists use color, but as well as exhibits how intersectionality affects things as a whole.
In this exhibit the majority of the photography lens is traced in gold with inklings of blue. The color gold is a warm color that can be either rosy and optimistic or somber and traditional. Gold shares many of the attributes of the color yellow and the color brown, and is associated with illumination, courage, passion, magic, and wisdom. Considering gold is a precious metal, the actual color is associated with wealth and prosperity. The color gold suggests grandeur and—perhaps as a downside—the excesses of the rich. To Hindus, gold represents knowledge and learning. Meanwhile in China, gold represents the element Earth. Blue is cooling in nature, and helps with balance and self-expression. It can possess extensive positive effects on the mind and the body. As the color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming and exude feelings of tranquility. However, not all blues are serene and sedate. Thrilling or luminous blues are dynamic and striking, an engagement of colors that expresses exhilaration. As the color of the sky, blue has been used since ancient times to represent heaven. In classical mythology, blue was the color associated with the gods, Venus and Jupiter. As the color of the ocean, it is also suggests qualities like individuality and healthy living. Although, not everyone experiences color in the same way, the meaning and symbolism we associate with different colors are influenced a great deal by the cultural and societal groups we identify with. This point leads us to these imperative excerpts of the passage.
A misconception about intersectionality is that it encourages division and exclusion in the feminist movement. By including race, class, sexuality, and other identity markers in feminist analysis, some say, intersectional feminists are spreading the movement thin and undermining its unity. The trouble with this line of thinking is that a feminist movement that focuses only on the common ground between women is erasing rather than inclusive. “Since racism, sexism, and heterosexism are not the same, the advantages associated with them should not be seen as the same. In addition, it is hard to disentangle aspects of unearned advantage which rest more on social class, economic class, race, religion, sex, and ethnic identity than on other factors. Still, all of the oppressions are interlocking, as the Combahee River Collective Statement of 1977 continues to remind us eloquently.” (pg 75) A lack of intersectionality leads to an erasure of people and their identities. Glossing over the issues faced by specific groups of women for the sake of unity centers the feminist movement on those who have the most privilege and visibility. It allows those who already take up a disproportionate amount of space in the movement to seem as if they’re making room for others without giving up any themselves. It is absurd to say that feminism holds a egalitarian focus if it only includes a certain group of people
and is exclusive of those who also struggle due to other forms of inequality, simply because they don’t fit into a certain mold. In general, feminism that is one-dimensional is never going to bring any change.
Adjacent to this, there is a authenticity for some artists that are fascinated by the effects of light; some are interested in the symbolic meaning of color; and some use color to express their emotions. With colors you can set a mood, attract attention, or make a statement. Comparable to the potential acknowledgement of intersectionality, color can be your most powerful design element if you learn to use it effectively. “To redesign social systems, we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions. The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool here.” (pg 75) Often, intersectional experiences reveal that existing structures are stacked against minorities. These institutions may fail to account for critical cultural differences. Their arguments against intersectionality tend to focus on proving it to be a meaningless term. However, as opposing this viewpoint, intersectional feminism should make people uncomfortable because we will never flourish or progress when we are comfortable. As humans, we grow when we are struggling or stretching ourselves to understand something new. The complexity of intersectional feminism is difficult and discomforting, but is meant to inspire change. Thus, we have to be willing to take up the critical thinking and self-work necessary to create an intersectional ethic lens through which feminism is crafted.
The point of understanding intersectionality is to understand the variety of privileges and/or forms of oppression that one may experience simultaneously at any given time. Yet, intersectionality is not just useful for understanding how different forms of privilege and oppression exist simultaneously in shaping our experiences in the social world. It helps us to see that what was perceived as absolute is co-constitutive. Undertaking intersectional work requires concrete action to address the barriers to equality facing people of color in society. We simply do not have the capacity of building social movements that are not intersectional, nor can we assume we are doing intersectional work just by saying words. While intersectionality might not be a perfect term, recognizing its uses and limitations helps to ensure that we don’t overlook the challenges faced by people who belong to multiple marginalized groups as we strive to achieve a more just society. undertaking intersectional work requires concrete action to address the barriers to equality facing people of color in society.
Bibliography:
McIntosh, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack.”
Introduction to Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies,
Oxford University Press , 1988, pp. 72–75.
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