College and university instructors continue to seek models that help students to better understand todays complex social relationships. Feminist, Queer, and Ethnic Studies scholars put forward compelling arguments for more integrative understandings of race, class, gender, and sexuality and for centering the experiences of women, people of color, and others traditionally relegated to the margins. Intersectionality is one such approach. In nine chapters, the contributors to this volume offer an overview of key tenets of intersectionality and explore applications of this model in faculty and instructional development in higher education. Gathered from across the disciplines, they draw upon a range of approaches to social identity formation, different theoretical models, and a complement of lived experiences. When read together, these chapters offer a systemic approach to change in higher education by addressing innovations at course, department, and institutional levels.
Intersectionality does not advocate for a fl attening of differences.Instead, it argues for another layer of critical analyses that acknowledge the powerful interplay of the many aspects of social identity to address the rapidly shifting ways in which we talk about and describe identities in society and the complexity of classroom dynamics in the academy today. By illuminating the interconnected nature of systems of oppression, we shine a light on the potential for disrupting the status quo and create stronger alliances for social justice.
