FAQ
This FAQ answers the following questions:
What is feminism?
What are some of the different types of feminism?
What’s the difference between Black feminism and womanism?
What Does “Intersectionality” Mean?
Why is intersectionality important in feminism?
How can I make my feminism more intersectional?
Should I call myself an “intersectional feminist”?
- I’m not a Black woman / Black non-binary person. Why do you say I can’t call myself an intersectional feminist?
- What about non-Black women of colour?
- You say I’m not allowed to call myself an “intersectional feminist” because I’m not a Black woman / Black non-binary person. But I do face multiple oppressions / But I do want my feminism to be inclusive. Am I not supposed to be intersectional?
Is intersectionality for everyone?
Answers
What is feminism?
Feminism is a broad collection of movements that recognises that women are oppressed, which means they are granted less power, social capital, material goods, and/or freedom than men. Feminism is a response to this oppression that aims to provide women with liberation or equality. There are many, many different feminisms, which have different theories about the causes and solutions of the aforementioned disparity.
What are some of the different types of feminism?
Here are some of the many types of feminism. Each type in itself is a broad movement, so there can be big differences between feminists even when they consider themselves the same ‘type’ of feminist. Some feminists don’t use any of the labels below, and some use multiple.
Liberal feminism is often focused on individual women’s choices and on the notion of empowerment. It attempts to support women through legal reforms but often also puts pressure on women to make an effort to, for instance, aspire to leadership. Liberal feminism is sometimes criticised for not recognising the complexity of gender oppression and for failing to be intersectional.
Radical feminism focuses on social gender norms in many areas – this type of feminism thus sees gender oppression as something more complex, deeply engrained, and systematic. Radical feminism recognises gender oppression in cultural customs, language, education, science, the medical system, and just about every other context. Radical feminism is sometimes criticised for positing gender oppression as prior to or worse than other forms of oppression (such as racism or queerphobia). It’s also criticised because many radical feminists exclude trans women from their feminism.
Difference feminism and equality feminism are two opposing movements within feminism. Equality feminists believe that people are inherently equal regardless of gender; they are likely to state that their aim is complete equality between genders. They are sometimes criticised for denying the value of ‘feminine’ traits and wanting to make all people conform to masculine norms. Difference feminists believe that there are inherent differences between men and women; they are likely to state that their aim is liberation, or equal value given to differently-behaving genders. Difference feminists are sometimes criticised for being essentialist and for erasing the existence of non-binary people.
Religious feminism is any kind of feminism that explicitly ties itself to a religion, such as Muslim feminism, Christian feminism, or Buddhist feminism.
Lesbian feminism encourages women to direct their energy towards other women and sometimes posits lesbianism as a logical consequence of feminism.
Black feminism holds that sexism, racism and class oppression are all linked together. This type of feminism was started by Black feminists in the US, though many similar movements exist around the world. Black feminism is the movement that came up with intersectionality (see below), which is an integral part of Black feminism.
White feminism is a term for feminism that fails to be intersectional. Contrary to most other movements above, white feminism is a term that people rarely use for themselves; instead, other feminists label certain feminists as ‘white feminists’ when they fail to account for intersectionality.
Womanism is a movement (and theory) that is a response specifically to the racial/gender oppression of Black women. It was spurred and named by Alice Walker, a Black author, but there are multiple other womanist theorists. Womanism is not only about Black women (it is about all women), but it does start from the position, experiences, and knowledges of Black women.
What’s the difference between Black feminism and womanism?
I (mod T) do identify as a womanist in addition to a feminist. Why do both? Because I like to emphasize the difference between the two.
I see womanism as a softer, more personal form of feminism. Womanism for me is more about culture and community.
Some notes I wrote ages ago about the difference between womanism and feminism [specifically black feminism, though intersectional feminism can work in its place]:
- Womanism can be seen as a mediator between Black Nationalism and Black Feminism
- Womanism is a more homegrown, mature, nurturing, motherly version of feminism, not simply a branch or type (womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender)
- Womanism is a wholesome compromise for women of color that have always been torn between feminism and cultural ties
- Womanism can be a support system for women of color who care more about community and real life stories than about academia and theories
- Womanism is a mode of analysis that does not exclude men of color, but rather embraces them and includes them in the solution instead of regarding them as part of the problem
So, womanism is the social/community side of social justice work for me, whereas feminism is the political side. Oftentimes, the terms used in feminism can be too academic or clinical for me, and the theories and language can be very inaccessible for those who aren’t college-educated. Womanism keeps it real for me. Womanism has concepts I understand easily that feminism makes confusing with big words and sociological studies. Womanism is anecdotes and experience, while feminism is statistics and seminars.
What Does “Intersectionality” Mean?
The term “intersectionality” was coined by Critical Race Theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, though the actual concept was around since at least 1851 (see: Ain’t I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth). It is a feminist sociological theory that centers around analyzing and discussing how oppression often intersects, creating unique and varied experiences of discrimination.
Originally, intersectionality referred to the discrimination faced by black women that is not only sexism and racism, but an experience that is more than the sum of its parts (now referred to as “misogynoir” in black feminist and womanist circles). Intersectionality has since been expanded to include the analysis of discrimination faced by anyone who identifies with the multiple social, biological, and cultural groups that are not favored in a patriarchal, capitalist, white supremacist society.
Why is intersectionality important in feminism?
The goal of feminism is to move toward gender equality and/or justice for people of all genders. To this end, feminism investigates and challenges the forces that cause injustice or inequality. However, those forces are not the same for all women, because forces of oppression (sexism, racism, classism etc.) intersect.
Without attending to intersectionality, two things tend to happen:
1. Problems which are unique to specific subsets of women or non-binary people go unaddressed. The issues of lower-class lesbians, or the issues of non-binary people of color, for instance, aren’t discussed in mainstream feminism.
2. Problems which occur for most/many women are only solved for otherwise-unoppressed women. For instance, when “women” in the US got the vote, what that actually meant was that white, upper-class women got the vote. It was decades before Black and Native American women got the vote.
Thus, to ensure justice and equality in the feminist movement, it is very important to be mindful of intersectional issues.
How can I make my feminism more intersectional?
Here are a few ways to make your feminism more mindful to intersections. First of all, try to be an ally for groups you aren’t a part of. More information on how to be an ally can be found here.
Try to seek out information about things that are going on for other oppressed groups. Part of that can be following tumblrs which talk about racism, queerphobia, etc.
When you read or talk about feminist issues, another useful technique is to ‘ask the other question’. Instead of thinking about how something relates to gender, ask ‘how does this relate to race?’. For instance, when you’re watching a movie and are annoyed at the stereotypical portrayal of women, you can also try to think about race by asking: are there people of color represented? How are they represented? Are there characters who are both female and of color?
Here’s a (non-exhaustive!) list of some other things you can do online/on tumblr to show you’re striving to be intersectional:
- Cut slurs out of your vocabulary
- Try to make your blog more accessible to folks with disabilities
- Tag lots for black list users
- Do not derail posts about a specific topic (Ex. “All Lives Matter”)
- When reading studies, think “Okay, so this affects white women in this way, but how does it affect Latinx and Black women? How does it affect women with disabilities?)
- Reblog problematic things with commentary! (This one can be exhausting, but you have no idea how relieving it is to see that someone I follow reblogged what began as a really gross post with a golden commentary. It makes folks feel safer!)
- Never send hate!
- Sign petitions, signal boost fundraisers and charities, and donate when you can
- Work on making your blog feel safe and comforting
- Work to make your feminism inclusive to trans and intersex women by eliminating cissexist/intersexist language, uplifting voices of trans or intersex women, and correcting other people when they’re being transmisogynist or intersexist
Should I call myself an “intersectional feminist”?
We get a LOT of questions about this. This is an issue on which there are different stances in the feminist community. Here is our stance: The term “intersectional” was coined by a woman of color, Kimberlé Crenshaw. Use of the term has expanded to cover not just analysis of Black women’s position, but also analysis of the ways different oppressions interact for other groups of people.
Because the term was coined by a Black woman, there is debate over whether it is appropriate for people who aren’t Black women to call themselves “intersectional feminist”. Our stance at this blog is to not use this term unless you are a Black woman or a Black non-binary person.
However, calling your feminism intersectional and speaking about intersectionality ARE things you can do, even when you are not a Black woman. Thus our recommendation is to call yourself a feminist (if you want to, of course) and to bring up intersectionality and intersectional themes separately, unless you are a Black woman like Kimberlé Crenshaw. In that case, the term ‘intersectional feminist’ is available for you to use.
Follow-up questions about this topic:
I’m not a Black woman / Black non-binary person. Why do you say I can’t call myself an intersectional feminist?
If you’re white, don’t call yourself an intersectional feminist because-
- you do not experience the type of oppression that the term was coined to discuss
- it has been used by white feminists as a shield to avoid being held accountable for bigoted actions or words
- some white feminists fixate on it as a way to separate themselves from other white feminists in order to seem less problematic without putting in actual intersectional work (again, avoiding accountability)
- intersectionality is often used without proper credit being given to the creators of the concept (Black women)
- claiming it as a white woman erases Black women and pushes away the issue of anti-blackness
Please see this post for a longer explanation.
What about non-Black women of colour?
We don’t believe anyone beyond black women should be able to claim that title because the whole concept of intersectionality was created by a black woman for black women, as a way to analyze the intersection of racism and sexism that black women face.
The type of racism a black woman faces is very different from the racism an Asian or Hispanic woman may face because of the added layer of anti-blackness.
Anti-blackness and colorism are issues unique to black folks (EDIT: colorism does affect dark skinned folks of any race, but it is directly linked to anti-black racism and white supremacy, which deems blackness as ugly, inferior, and animalistic), and they affect black women the most. You can find anti-blackness in every single social and ethnic group.
That is why it is important to allow black women to claim the title of intersectional feminist. It is a reminder that whenever blackness is added to an already busy intersection of oppression, things get worse. Things become more dangerous.
This does not mean that intersectionality cannot be for anyone else. This movement has been expanded to include every minority group. Here at this blog, you can see that we address multiple issues, and work to include everyone. This is by no means an exclusionary tactic.
You say I’m not allowed to call myself an “intersectional feminist” because I’m not a Black woman / Black non-binary person. But I do face multiple oppressions / But I do want my feminism to be inclusive. Am I not supposed to be intersectional?
Yes, you ARE allowed and encouraged to use intersectional theory and thought, think intersectionally, be inclusive, name and discuss issues of intersectionality, etc. You are allowed and encouraged to bring up intersectionality when you talk about what feminism means to you. You are allowed and encouraged to call yourself a feminist.
Is intersectionality for everyone?
While intersectional theory was originally meant to address the unique intersection of oppression faced by black women (misogynoir), it has since been expanded to include anyone who suffers disadvantages in a White supremacist, capitalistic, patriarchal society.
Those with disabilities, mental illness, non-Western religious identities, non-white ethnic or racial identities, non-thin bodies, non-Eurocentric features, low income, those who are not alloromantic, allosexual, heterosexual, or cis gender [specifically cis male by Western standards], or those who simply do not adhere to a Western model of gender or sexuality all experience oppression due to their relative “disadvantage.”
