Intesectionality: Gender, Race and Gangs
Intersectionality: Gender, Race, and Gangs
Introduction
In much of social science research, gender, race, class, and other dimensions of identity are treated as discrete variables, to be studied and measured separately. In recent years, however, feminist sociological theorists have argued that race, gender, class, and other axes of identity must be treated as overlapping and intersecting forms of oppression. Kimberlé Crenshaw, (1989) was among the first to articulate this theory, and coined the term “intersectionality” to describe it. Intersectionality has emerged as a major paradigm of research in women’s studies (McCall 2005). In her book Black Feminist Thought, Patricia Hill Collins argues that we must understand “race, class, and gender as interlocking systems of oppression” (Collins 1990: 553). Intersectionality has also been used to understand the experiences of other women of color (e.g., Crenshaw 1991). Intersectionality has tremendous potential to yield insights into the experiences of women in gangs, who are likely to be poor and minorities. Furthermore, the fact that the concept of intersectionality has proved useful in studies of women in other areas of criminology shows that intersectionality will likely yield insights into female gang members. Our research, therefore, will interview female gang members of different races to attempt to answer the question of how intersecting gendered and racialized identities affect the lives of women in gangs.
Our paper will provide and overview of the existing literature on race, gender, and gangs. We will argue that an intersectional analysis of race and gender in gang life is needed to fill a gap in the literature and to fully understand how these dimensions of identity affect gang life. Next, we will outline our proposed methodology for studying the intersectionality of gender and race in gangs. Finally, we will summarize what can be learned form our proposed study and why this knowledge is essential to
Introduction
In much of social science research, gender, race, class, and other dimensions of identity are treated as discrete variables, to be studied and measured separately. In recent years, however, feminist sociological theorists have argued that race, gender, class, and other axes of identity must be treated as overlapping and intersecting forms of oppression. Kimberlé Crenshaw, (1989) was among the first to articulate this theory, and coined the term “intersectionality” to describe it. Intersectionality has emerged as a major paradigm of research in women’s studies (McCall 2005). In her book Black Feminist Thought, Patricia Hill Collins argues that we must understand “race, class, and gender as interlocking systems of oppression” (Collins 1990: 553). Intersectionality has also been used to understand the experiences of other women of color (e.g., Crenshaw 1991). Intersectionality has tremendous potential to yield insights into the experiences of women in gangs, who are likely to be poor and minorities. Furthermore, the fact that the concept of intersectionality has proved useful in studies of women in other areas of criminology shows that intersectionality will likely yield insights into female gang members. Our research, therefore, will interview female gang members of different races to attempt to answer the question of how intersecting gendered and racialized identities affect the lives of women in gangs.
Our paper will provide and overview of the existing literature on race, gender, and gangs. We will argue that an intersectional analysis of race and gender in gang life is needed to fill a gap in the literature and to fully understand how these dimensions of identity affect gang life. Next, we will outline our proposed methodology for studying the intersectionality of gender and race in gangs. Finally, we will summarize what can be learned form our proposed study and why this knowledge is essential to
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