Southern Centre for Inequality Studies

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Intersectionality

Intersectionality is a term used to describe the pluralisation and interlocking of forms of discrimination and oppression based on compounding social differences. Kimberle Crenshaw (1989) coined the term intersectionality in the context of socio-legal research on black women’s marginalisation in the United States and the erasure of their specific position of oppression in the courts. Since then there have been multiple theorisations of intersectionality.

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Featured paper

Intersectionality in Action

The call for integrating intersectionality into development research and practice has surged in recent years. Advocates consider it a crucial perspective for understanding the interconnected forms in which oppression manifests and is experienced by marginalised groups of people. This approach is seen as valuable in crafting targeted, context-specific policy interventions to address diverse social problems.

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