Intersectionality as Travelling Theory — Possibilities for Dialogues

This introduction maps the history and trajectory of the concept of ‘intersectionality’, from its roots in Black feminism and feminism from the Global South to Kimberlé Crenshaw’s seminal formulation in 1989. It sets out how the concept has been taken up, both within and outside the US, as well as within and outside the academy. As an argument for why yet another handbook on intersectionality is necessary, we distinguish three relevant developments in current debates on intersectionality. First, the term intersectionality is no longer limited to critical women and gender studies, but is now widely used in antidiscrimination politics and policy. Second, the term has played an important role outside gender or critical race studies and is now widely used in so many other areas of study that we need to understand the reasons for its travels. And, third, intersectionality has become institutionalised in many BA and MA programmes, raising questions about the consequences of its institutionalisation for social justice struggles. In addition to paying attention to the debates and controversies which have emerged in recent decades around these issues, we present a rationale for the present volume, along with a brief explanation for how the chapters are organised.