Detecting the Matrix of Domination: A Historical Perspective

Much recent labor research has highlighted the increasing reliance on contingent employment. We apply intersectionality theory and Collins’s concept of the “matrix of domination” to data from focus groups with immigrant Latina “perma-temp” warehouse workers ( n = 40), finding that the structural (dis-)organization of perma-temping serves as an instrument of domination and is crucial to our respondents’ experiences of work. However, the instability of these women’s contingent jobs entwines complexly with, and is compounded by, the subordination and decreased agency attached to their other minority statuses. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for theory, future scholarship, and policy.

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Queen Phiona and Princess Shuri—Alternative Africana “Royalty” in Disney’s Royal Realm: An Intersectional Analysis

Social Sciences ◽

10.3390/socsci7100206 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. 206

Author(s):

Heather Harris

Keyword(s):

White Supremacy ◽

Tipping Point ◽

People Of Color ◽

Intersectionality Theory ◽

Intersectional Analysis ◽

Matrix Of Domination ◽

The Matrix ◽

Intersecting Identities ◽

The Creation ◽

Black Panther

This paper explores the representations of two of Disney’s Africana royals, Phiona from the Queen of Katwe and Princess Shuri from Black Panther. Taking into consideration the pedagogical impact of media to reinforce ideologies of White supremacy and privilege, the depictions of these alternative royals in Disney’s royal realm are analyzed using intersectionality theory. The girls’ intersecting identities are juxtaposed with Collins’ matrix of domination concept. The analysis revealed that, while both Phiona and Shuri are challenged by the legacy of colonialization, capitalism, and globalization that constitute the matrix of domination, their approaches to these challenges are different as a result of the unique ways that their identities intersect. The author stresses that while it is commendable of Disney, and Hollywood, to allow for the affirming portrayals of these Africana girls on screen, the gesture is baseless unless a tipping point is reached where such films, and those depicting other non-dominant groups, become the norm rather than the exceptions. In other words, the challenge for those in the industry is not to resist the matrix of domination that stymies the creation of films that reflect the spectrum of the lived and fantastical experiences of Africana, and people of color; rather, the challenge is to dismantle it.

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“Racists,” “Class Anxieties,” Hegemonic Racism, and Democracy in Trump’s America

Social Currents ◽

10.1177/2329496518804558 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 14-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva

Keyword(s):

Working Class ◽

Color Blindness ◽

The Political ◽

Political Activities ◽

Turbulent Times ◽

Matrix Of Domination ◽

The Matrix ◽

Collective Phenomenon ◽

Dominant Narratives

In this address, I challenge dominant narratives explaining the rise of Trumpism in America. Specifically, I dispute four ideas that have emerged to account for Trump’s election. First, I suggest that understanding his election as the product of the political activities of the “racists” severely limits our understanding of racism as a collective phenomenon. Second, I question the notion that Trump’s working class support was due to “class anxieties.” Third, I argue that despite the rise in old-fashioned racism in Trump’s America, the new racism and its ideology of color-blindness are still hegemonic. Last, I ask analysts and activists alike to realize that the fight for democracy in the turbulent times we are living cannot be equated with an effort to return to “politics as usual,” politics that have maintained the matrix of domination in place.

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Hegemonic Femininities and Intersectional Domination

Sociological Theory ◽

10.1177/0735275119888248 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 315-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laura T. Hamilton ◽

Elizabeth A. Armstrong ◽

J. Lotus Seeley ◽

Elizabeth M. Armstrong

Keyword(s):

Cultural Ideals ◽

Social Domination ◽

Matrix Of Domination ◽

The Matrix ◽

Patricia Hill Collins ◽

Hegemonic Femininity

We examine how two sociological traditions account for the role of femininities in social domination. The masculinities tradition theorizes gender as an independent structure of domination; consequently, femininities that complement hegemonic masculinities are treated as passively compliant in the reproduction of gender. In contrast, Patricia Hill Collins views cultural ideals of hegemonic femininity as simultaneously raced, classed, and gendered. This intersectional perspective allows us to recognize women striving to approximate hegemonic cultural ideals of femininity as actively complicit in reproducing a matrix of domination. We argue that hegemonic femininities reference a powerful location in the matrix from which some women draw considerable individual benefits (i.e., a femininity premium) while shoring up collective benefits along other dimensions of advantage. In the process, they engage in intersectional domination of other women and even some men. Our analysis re-enforces the utility of analyzing femininities and masculinities from within an intersectional feminist framework.

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