Race and Intersectionality - Essay Example

 Race and Intersectionality According to Eliot (20), intersectionality is the study of the intersections between various disenfranchised minority groups. To be specific, it is the study of the multiple systems’ interactions of discrimination and oppression. It is a study methodology of relationships among many modalities and dimensions of subject formations and social relationships. Racism is an issue of actions, practices, and views that are not only desirable based of gender because they contribute to a sense of superiority and inferiority. It reflects the humanity belief segmented in groups with women experiencing the highest effect of racism than men. Therefore, racism affects women in some way compared to men, and gender discrimination on the other hand affects women very much. Eliot (20) further points out that intersectionality tries to look into how and suggests different categories of culture, social and biology interact on many simultaneous levels thus contributing to socially unequal systems. Furthermore, Smith (421) explains that intersectuality is of the stand that traditional conceptualization of acts of oppression in the whole society such as sexism, religion, and racism do not function independently, however, these oppression forms interrelate creating oppression systems that portray the multiple forms intersection of discrimination. “Racism is not an effect but a tactic in the internal fission of society into binary opposition, a means of creating‘biologized’ internal enemies, against whom society must defend itself” (Pg: 422). Harjo (240) in her article brings out birth which has gone through successive generations from grandmother, child and finally to granddaughter. All of them had children at a younger age but the only difference was that Harjo and the mother did not have anyone to support them. She further elaborates on how the hospitals treat women. Harjo (240) explains how they tossed and gave women medication. Moreover, she explains that after birth, nurses would strip the babies away from the women. This educates the society and proves that birth can be natural apart from engaging the hospital. “I was prepared for birth. This meant that my pubic area was shaved completely and then I endured the humiliations of enema, all hands of strangers” (Pg: 240). Moreover, another example “when my son was born I had been deadened with a needle in my spine. He was shown to me-the incredible miracle nothing prepared me for-then taken from me in the name of medical progress” (Pg: 240). From the examples, intesectuality is being portrayed in the hospital set up. Stripping away a baby is like stripping a mother all her motherly rights. This portrays how gender is being reflected in the intersectionalism. According to Smith (422), as individuals seek to create a socially fulfilling and just everyday life and as a collection seeking to make history through social movements and political actions, we struggle with unstable connections between class, gender and race. The explanatory and methodological framework for connecting all these three different axes difference and identity, of antagonism and alliance remains elusive. Harjo (241) observes that any comparative history suggests that solidarity demand across class; race and lines of gender are most likely to compete than to coalesce. According to Eliot (87), social inequality different intersections is called matrix of domination. This can also be referred to as vectors of privileged and oppression. This term explains how differences in people like class, sexual orientation, age, race among others act as measures of oppression towards the women and finally change experiences in society as living like a woman. Smith (423) explains how women for many years have been raped in wars, the immigrants and the blacks to show them their inferiority or for the men to stamp their authority. For many years the societies has had thinking that influence and fuels oppression and intensify these differences further. Specifically, Smith (424) refers to it as the construct of the difference in dichotomous opposition. The construct is featured by its focus and intensity on differences other than the similarities. For instance, Smith (420) points out that the society uses commonly dichotomies as descriptive words such as white/black or female/male. In addition, these dichotomies are directly and openly opposing each other and are unstable intrinsically. This means that rarely do they represent and reflect equal relationships. This can be related as to why the black and the Indian women do experience oppression because they fall in to the section regarded in the society as the inferior section. Consequently, internalization of this concept results to further oppression experienced by the black and the Indian women in society. From his research work, Elliot (76) suggests that making a decision to be a man is a very emotional process that many men struggle with in their entire lives. The colored men in United States face prejudice, discrimination and racism may exacerbate this process. Generally in his work Elliot (87) brings out intersectionality by reviewing written works and studies that explains the production of the of masculine colored men, specifically looking at the emotional aspects of the construction of the masculine. According to Elliot (92), the studies offer three observations. To begin with, most of the studies on the emotional lives of the colored men in discussing the politics of gender amongst men fail to recognize women in the whole picture. Secondly, many studies are mainly focused on the problematic or damaging emotional behaviors of the colored men thereby promoting implicitly the notion that masculinities of the white men are exemplary. Lastly, studies on the colored men brings out the tendency of denying these men an avenue of advancing their belief that their behaviors and choices are explicitly a reflection of the racist society without fully putting men’s lives into the context. I believe that intersectional approach in masculinities and emotion studies will improve our understanding of the contradictory, complex and dynamic ways men reproduce masculinities. The elitist dichotomies propose inequality structures that categorize people into two groups’ i.e. the norm and the other. Harjo (240) gives an example of gender, one of the social categories. Traditionally, these two components of gender, male and female, have been accorded characteristics according to the stereotypical images. The male has been regarded as the active, independent, rational, hard and strong. On the other hand, female has been painted as dependent, weak, emotional, passive and soft. The stereotypic characteristics attached to the male gender are higher when compared to the females. This ultimately give men more privileges and power and regard them as belonging to higher social group where they dominate the political, cultural, social and economic spheres. This can be compared to other dichotomies which are unequal and are based on age, tribalism and class. Conclusion As much as racism and gender discrimination is concerned, women are most affected by both. For example, as highlighted by Harjo, women are mistreated in the hospitals and their children taken away. Moreover, they are subjected to rape and molestation regardless of race and region of residence. The level of discrimination goes higher depending on the environment a woman finds herself. Although men also experience discrimination and racism, the magnitude in women increases with whether one is white, black or Indian. The blacks and Indians experience mush of racism than whites. Work cited Elliott, Sinikka. "Men, Race, and Emotions: Men of Color and Masculine Productions" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Hilton San Francisco & Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel, San Francisco, CA,, Aug 14, 2004 . Retrieved on 20th may 2013 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p109662_index.html Harjo Joy. “Three Generations of Native American Women’s Birth Experience”: Taylor & Francis Copyright, 1991. Print. Smith, Andrea. Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide. Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2005. Print. Read More