Foundations of Intersectionality Theory

This chapter provides an overview of intersectionality theory and locates its origins in Black feminist thought in the United States, establishing the theoretical foundation necessary to apply the theory in the context of international human rights. The notion that multiple systems of oppression intersect in people’s lives and affect different individuals and groups of people differently opens up space for discussion about inter-group differences (e.g., differences between women and men) but also discussion about intragroup differences (e.g., differences in the experiences of discrimination among white women and women of color). Although its antecedents in Black feminist thought appeared much earlier, intersectionality theory surfaced in the late 1980s partly as a response to conceptual and pragmatic deficiencies in feminist legal theory and critical race theory. In 1989, Kimberlé Crenshaw published a germinal essay defining intersectionality theory. In Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Anti-Discrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics, Crenshaw demonstrated how neither feminist nor anti-racist advocacy fully captured the marginalization of women of color. Building on Crenshaw’s significant contributions, the chapter explores the evolution of intersectionality theory, its transformative tenets, and the critiques of the theory.