Intersectionality

What comes to mind when you hear the word intersection? Geometry? Mathematics? Traffic? Social justice?
 
The word intersection has its origins in the PIE root sek (to cut) and Latin secare (to cut). Latin inter- (between) + secare = intersecare (to intersect, to cut asunder). The word intersection (the act or fact of crossing) came to English in the 1550s from 14th century French intersection and Latin intersectionem (a cutting asunder, an intersection).
 
In English, the word intersection was originally a term in geometry (e.g., the intersection of two lines). The use of intersection to mean a crossroads or a place where two or more roads meet is from 1864. The verb ‘to intersect’, from the 1610s, comes from the noun intersection.
 
In 1989, the term intersectionality was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw to describe the overlapping and intersecting of persistent inequalities characterized by social categorizations “such as gender, caste, sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, disability, weight, physical appearance, and height) as experienced by marginalized individuals and groups. Such overlapping and intersecting of social identities may be both empowering and oppressing.”
 
Such inequalities are mutually constitutive and enabling rather than isolated and distinct (Merriam-Webster). An intersectional analysis considers the combinations of all the factors that apply to an individual rather than considering each factor in isolation. The term intersectionality was not widely adopted and used until the 2000s.
 
Consider metaphors related to intersections and crossroads (e.g., “I was at a crossroads in my life”). An intersection with traffic lights and signs is usually about ‘stop and go’ control. In contrast, an intersection designed as a roundabout or traffic circle is about flow and responsible individual responses to the traffic. Could we consider intersectionality in terms of metaphors of both control and flow? Could we consider intersectionality in terms of the relationships between the community and the individual, between the givenness of any situation and the options for responsible choice?  
 
Intersectionality is not just a descriptive term. It can also be a metaphor for action.  
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
Intersectionality. (2022, May 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality
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