Societies across the world contain various unique cultural value system that in most cases are discriminative to certain members within it. The social ranking of the society in the world tend to uphold certain racial, class, gender, economic, social and religious classifications over others, and as such, continually create avenues through which people can be discriminated upon. In the west the society for most of its historical context has always exalted the male white man over other people women, children, and cripples, are subject to male laws and way of life. Additionally, aspects such as race, wealth, culture and religion play an important role in the male white man’s society. in the west the typical male white man has upheld certain Christian values that in turn tend to sideline all others who do not adhere to them, difference in cultures also play an important role as it further creates an new avenue to uphold discrimination and present a form of separation, class and gender also serve to divide people and the more money a person has the more influence they get with regards to their needs and wants, finally race come in to overall create intrinsic divisions within the society and thus present people with visible means that can be taken advantage of to discriminate. Essentially, intersectionality implies that a person’sopinion matters comparative to your identity and where your identity ranks in the hierarchy of the societal value system.

​Intersectionality concerns Identity politics and in effect overlapping characteristics that predispose an individual to discrimination from various entities within the society. A person exists within the society from different levels, they are described and situated within their community with effect of their gender, age, race, culture, religion, nationality of origin among others. Communities often organize along similarity lines and shun their differences. Kaiser identifies that most people in the society associate and create their identity based on their differences. Essentially cultures are described and thrive on the otherness they give out instead of the similarities they presume. As such discrimination tends to occur in cases where people create different categories of people and rank hierarchy of needs. Most of the frameworks establish within the society will be manipulated to recognize the dominant group and in most cases overlook the lesser groups with regards to social justice. Kaiser posits that “subject positions cannot be totally separate to one another; they intersect in complex ways”. A black woman would therefore be discriminated with regards to first her gender and age within her own community, her religious beliefs will also be part of what create avenues for discrimination within and without her community. She will further be discriminated for her race, gender, age, culture and religion from without her community creating an intersection nature of categorization based on social, political, cultural and economic reasons from which she can be discriminated upon.

​Intersectionality does not entail discrimination but can best be explain under stances of discrimination. Intersectionality therefore entails, categories of identity that help identify a person to another group of people and foster their own individuality within a diverse society.

References

Kaiser., Susan. 2011. “Chapter 2: Intersectional, Transnational Fashion Subjects” Fashion andCultural Studies. Oxford: Berg Publishers.

Stamper, Kory. 2018. “A Brief, Convoluted History of the Word ‘Intersectionality’”. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/2018/03/a-brief-convoluted-history-of-the-word-intersectionality.html.