043 - Thematic Session. Theorizing Frameworks and Methodologies for the Study of Intersectionality: Sociological and Interdisciplinary Conversations

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Description

Over the last two decades, intersectionality has emerged as arguably the most significant, paradigm-shifting contribution of feminist theorizing, with many feminist sociologists at the forefront of this pioneering work. At the same time, intersectional theory and research has been critiqued on a number of fronts, and sociological frameworks in particular have been challenged by interdisciplinary debates and approaches. Ironically, the very research that has sought to challenge fixed categories has been taken to task for reifying these very categories, in both qualitative and quantitative research. While much research has focused on race, gender
and class, other forms of difference have received less attention, including sexuality, nation, citizenship, and ability. Currently, the next generation of intersectional researchers is mapping out how to incorporate these critiques into concrete research projects. What are the possibilities, limitations and lessons of intersectional scholarship? What kind of methodologies can bridge theoretical critiques with new empirical findings? This panel provides an overview of current intersectional frameworks, situates sociological critiques in conversation with interdisciplinary approaches, and engages with cutting-edge research that is moving intersectionality forward in innovative ways.

Sub Unit

• Thematic Sessions

Presider

• Yangsook Kim, University of Toronto

Individual Presentations

• Notes on Intersectionality from an Interdisciplinary Interloper: Difference, Method and Intuition - Abigail Huston Boggs, Wesleyan University

• Categories in Motion - Maxine Leeds Craig, University of California-Davis

• From Intersections to Interchanges: New Metaphors for Theorizing Difference - Miliann Kang, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

• Methods of Intersectionality - Joya Misra, University of Massachusetts