The Intersectional Approach: Transforming the Academy through Race, Class, and Gender

Intersectionality, or the consideration of race, class, and gender, is one of the prominent contemporary theoretical contributions made by scholars in the field of women’s studies that now broadly extends across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Taking stock of this transformative paradigm, The Intersectional Approach guides new and established researchers to engage in a critical reflection about the broad adoption of intersectionality that constitutes what the editors call a new “social literacy” for scholars.

In eighteen essays, contributors examine various topics of interest to students and researchers from a feminist perspective as well as through their respective disciplines, looking specifically at gender inequalities related to globalization, health, motherhood, sexuality, body image, and aging. Together, these essays provide a critical overview of the paradigm, highlight new theoretical and methodological advances, and make a strong case for the continued use of the intersectional approach both within the borders of women’s and gender studies and beyond.

Contributors:
Lidia Anchisi, Gettysburg College
Naomi André, University of Michigan
Jean Ait Belkhir, Southern University at New Orleans
Michele Tracy Berger, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kia Lilly Caldwell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Elizabeth R. Cole, University of Michigan
Kimberlé Crenshaw, University of California, Los Angeles
Bonnie Thornton Dill, University of Maryland
Michelle Fine, Graduate Center, City University of New York
Jennifer Fish, Old Dominion University
Mako Fitts, Seattle University
Kathleen Guidroz, Mount St. Mary’s University
Ivette Guzmán-Zavala, Lebanon Valley College
Kaaren Haldeman, Durham, North Carolina
Catherine E. Harnois, Wake Forest University
AnaLouise Keating, Texas Woman’s University
Rachel E. Luft, University of New Orleans
Gary K. Perry, Seattle University
Jennifer Rothchild, University of Minnesota, Morris
Ann Russo, DePaul University
Natalie J. Sabik, University of Michigan
Jessica Holden Sherwood, University of Rhode Island
Yvette Taylor, University of Newcastle, United Kingdom
Nira Yuval-Davis, University of East London

Michele Tracy Berger is associate professor of women’s studies and adjunct professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kathleen Guidroz is assistant professor of sociology at Mount St. Mary’s University.

Kathleen Guidroz is assistant professor of sociology at Mount St. Mary’s University.