Academic

Bailey on Intersectionality & Feminism

By Lawrence Solum

Alison Bailey (Illinois State University) has posted On Intersectionality and White Feminist Philosophy on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

Feminism and academic philosophy have had lots to say to one another. Yet part of what marks feminist philosophy as philosophy is our engagement with the intellectual traditions of the white forefathers.

In this working paper I want to explore some possible reasons why white feminist philosophers have failed to deeply engage the radical work being done by non-Western women, U.S. women of color and scholars of color outside of the discipline. My conversation begins with intersectionality, which for feminists working outside of philosophy is a predictable point of departure; but as a white feminist philosopher I have a specific reasons for starting here. The fact that intersectionality is, at once, such a widely recognized strategy for making visible women of color's issues and concerns in academic and policy discussions, and so neglected by philosophers is telling.

I want to invite philosophers to think more seriously about intersectionality and other pluralist approaches as strategies for calling attention to whiteness of philosophy in general and feminist philosophy in particular. I want us to consider what feminist philosophy would be like if women of color's writing, experiences, and communities drove philosophical inquiry. Since most philosophers are unfamiliar with intersectional methodologies, I begin with a basic explanation of the foundational claims of this method.

Next, I explore some reasons why white feminists working in philosophy may be resistant to this method. I identify both disciplinary and personal reasons for this hesitancy and argue that intersectionality serves as a useful strategic tool for examining white authority in the emergent feminist canon. Finally, I explore the role intersectional thinking might play in creating a feminist critical race philosophy by outlining four projects that I think will challenge and enrich feminist work in the discipline.

Recommended.

Full post as published by Legal Theory Blog on February 24, 2009 (boomark / email).