These are notes from (almost) all Identity, Diversity and Inclusion lectures for the academic year ! With these notes, I passed this course in one go without retakes.
Identity, Diversity and Inclusion
College 1 (8/11/2022)
Identity: three main questions
1. How are identities formed?
2. How much control do we have in shaping this?
3. What happens if an identity is in crisis?
What is identity?
Identity involves:
- A link between the individual and social identity (social categorisation)
- Being the same as some people and different from others (social comparison)
- Identification as active engagement. You don’t just have it, you pick it up (social identification)
- Tension between structure and agency.
Social sciences accounting for identity
- G. H. Mead: we construct our identity by imagining ourselves, thereby using symbols.
- E. Goffman: we act out a role (social positioning)
- S. Freud: we make an identity our own by a process of largely unconscious identification.
Conceptualising social structures
- Class: a large grouping of people who share common economic, interests, experiences and lifestyles.
- Gender: the systematic structuring of certain behaviours and practices, which are associated with women or
men in particular societies.
Culture of societies
- Identities are part of the culture of a society.
- If society changes identities can change too.
Structure can shape identities…
But there’s also agency in shaping our identities.
- 1960: new societal movements used identity as a key factor in political mobilisation.
- People resist dominant cultural representations of identity through collective action and individual projects.
Subverting stereotypes
- Representation
- Associations
- Symbols
- Meanings
- Interpellation: being called out to take up an identity and doing so.
Identity differences and hierarchies
Hierarchies influence identities. It’s often used to mark differences. Crises can change identities. Think of Zwarte Piet.
, College 2 (10/11/2022)
What is intersectionality?
Intersectionality is not just about my identities, but how these power relations influence social relations across diverse
societies as well as individual experiences. Power relations of race, class and gender are not discrete and mutually
exclusive. Power relations are interdependent and often invisible.
Offers a framework.
- Single axis framework: or this or that.
- Crenshaw:
- Limits understanding of discrimination of otherwise privileged members of groups.
- Marginalises those who are multiple burdened.
- Creates a distortion of analyses of racism and sexism.
- There is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives.
Intersectional discrimination
- Not an additive frame: greater than the sum of racism and sexism.
- Rather: co-constructed, interdependent and interactive.
Advantages and disadvantages of the metaphor
Pro:
- Vivid illustration
- Adaptable, can be expanded
- Eventful, interactive
- Emphasises urgency
Con:
- Gender and race are seen as independent
- Additive and not co-constructed.
Historical context
The perspective originates in black feminist schools of thought, because of the need to theorise multiple interlocking
oppressions.
Intersectionality today
- Recognises the importance of intersectionality in science and practice.
- Debate and congestion about how to theorise and practice intersectionality.
- Differences in how intersectionality is deployed/used.
Critiques and questions
Intersectionality being:
- vague/ambiguous
- Are all identities intersectional?
- Hegemonic
- Whitewashing, institutionalising and depoliticization of intersectionality.
- Complicit with US imperialism
- Potential for epistemic violence (annulment of certain knowledge and its bearers).
- Essentialist
- The paradigmatic black female subject
- Post-intersectionality
- Now that intersectionality has become ubiquitous, time to develop new frames?
- Not really.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller FlyingRaven. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.39. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
