INTRODUCTION
FRAMEWORK FOR TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT
Culture is
• A complex, multi-layered concept
• Strongly linked to identity
• But also strongly ‘contextualized’: culture ‘happens’ between people > dealing
with diversity and power relations are important underlying mechanisms
Intersectionality is a framework for understanding power, identity and inequality
-> basic layer for dealing with insights from cross-cultural psychology
• Exists alongside other visions, frameworks or approaches
• Often, one vision or approach is developed in response to another
Framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social
and political identities (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality,
ability) combine to create unique, overlapping, and
interdependent systems of discrimination or privilege.
NED: Hoe verschillende sociale indentiteiten die eigen zijn aan
elke persoon met elkaar verbonden zijn. Kruising leidt tot
verschillende unieke ervaringen van discriminatie en privilege.
INTERSECTIONALITY IS ABOUT DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Diversity = verscheidenheid
• The realization that every individual is unique
• There are differences between certain groups of people
Kan obv. Gender, etniciteit, seksuele oriëntatie, beperking, sociale klasse, religie..
How to deal with diversity?
Exclusion: 'normal people' vs. 'non-normal people'
Vb. het niet aanvaarden van kinderen in het gewone onderwijs
à dominant circle
Segregation (separation): separating certain groups
Vb. segregatie in arbeidsmarkt obv gender (poetsvrouw vs.
brandweerman)
à dominant circle
Assimilation: those who (can) adapt are considered to be part of society
Vb. hoofddoekenverbod (culturele/religieuze identiteit opgeven om
zich aan te passen aan de dominante cultuur)
à dominant circle
1
,Integration: minorities take over characteristics of the majority culture, to be part of the
society while preserving their identity
Vb. integreren van Niet-Europese nieuwkomers via
inburgeringstrajecten
à dominant circle
Inclusion: engagement – openness to differences, without a dominant voice / role that
determines who does or does not belong
STARTING POINT: equality and equal rights
(<>normality)
à No dominant circle
Gelijkwaardigheid: iemand hoeft niet hetzelfde te
zijn, maar is wel hetzelfde waard en heeft
dezelfde rechten
OPENESS TO DIFFERENCES: HOW TO DO THAT?
Putting on a different lens
developing awareness of one’s own stereotypes and prejudices (vooroordelen)
Categorising (~ creating order in complexity) = ‘mental shortcuts’
• A natural cognitive process (we doen dit onbewust)
• Also used in social interactions
(als we iemand tegenkomen gaan we die persoon onbewust indelen in allerlei categorieën)
However, categorising can lead to
Stereotyping
- Attributing a specific characteristic to an entire group
- Assuming that all individuals within that group share the same trait
- Overlooking individual variation and unique characteristics
- Vb. Fransen zijn romantisch, Duitsers drinken veel bier, jongens houden van voetbal..
Prejudices
- A negative attitude towards someone without sufficient evidence
- An evaluation based solely on group membership
- Vb. ouderen kunnen geen bijdrage meer leveren aan de maatschappij, vrouwen met een
hoofddoek zijn onderdanig
Everyone engages in stereotypical thinking and holds prejudices at times
• We are often unaware of our implicit biases
• Prejudices can distort or obstruct rational and critical thinking
Zelf al weten we dat ze
bestaan denken we
vaak niet aan de meest
voor hand liggende
voorbeeld, nl. de
topchirurg is een vrouw
2
,How do stereotypes and prejudices develop?
• Through repeated exposure (books, media, education, socialisation, institutional practices)
• Through cultural narratives that define what is considered “normal”
• Through processes of categorisation that simplify social complexity
• Stereotypes can strengthen in-group cohesion, but they also reinforce hierarchies
between groups
The structural risk
When stereotypes and prejudices are treated as objective truth:
→ discrimination
→ exclusion
→ racism and other forms of structural inequality
→ “us vs. them” thinking (polarisation)
Importantly, these processes are not only individual — they can become embedded in
institutions, policies and professional practices
What can we do about this?
1.Reflexive awareness (bewustwording)
• Identify blind spots
• Recognise how your own position shapes perception
2. Structural consciousness
• Question dominant norms
• Ask: Who benefits? Who is disadvantaged?
3. Practice intersectional thinking (kruispuntdenken)
• Move beyond single categories
• Think in terms of intersecting partial identities
• Analyse power relations, not just differences
INTERSECTIONALITY: WE ALL OCCUPY SOCIAL POSITIONS
In every society, there are social ordering principles (“assen” / axes of meaning)
They structure:
• How society is organized
• How we see ourselves
• How others see us
• Our access to opportunities
>> We are all positioned on these axes
>> these axes are also
identity axes
14 axes of identity
(Helma Lutz, 2002)
3
, AXES ARE POWER-LADEN
HOW we look at each of these axes is therefore not neutral, but
- context-dependent
changes across time, place, demographic composition, institutional setting,...
- (Inevitably) normative, i.e., linked to dominant norms
= what is considered “normal,” “non-deviant,” or “desirable”
Vb. in onze Westerse context is dat: Witte,hetero, christelijke mannen van
midden/bovenklasse zonder beperking
- (Inevitably) – consequential, i.e. it structures advantage and disadvantage
Disadvantage/ Discriminatie
Vb. Mensen die niet tot de hogere klasse behoren kunnen klassisme ervaren
Vb. Mensen die niet tot heteroseksuele norm behoren kunnen heteroseksisme
ervaren
Privileges/ advandages
Vb. Mannen kunnen vrijer en met minder vrees in de publieke ruimte dwalen
Vb. Mensen met hogere klasse hebben makkelijker toegang tot hoger onderwijs
Ex. Norm = white skin
Missing poster white man vs. dark skinned man
Man is missing …
Vs.
Dark-skinned man is missing…
FROM DIVERSITY THINKING TO INTERSECTIONALITY
“Flat diversity thinking” assumes:
• Categories are dichotomous (man/woman)
• Categories are power-neutral
• Categories are independent
• Differences are purely descriptive
! Intersectionality challenges this.
It asks:
• Who benefits?
• Who is disadvantaged?
• In which context?
THE CORE OF INTERSCTIONALITY
People are not defined by one axis (~ partial identity).
Axes intersect!
×Your gender
× your class
× your ethnicity
× your migration status
× your health
× your age…
4
FRAMEWORK FOR TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT
Culture is
• A complex, multi-layered concept
• Strongly linked to identity
• But also strongly ‘contextualized’: culture ‘happens’ between people > dealing
with diversity and power relations are important underlying mechanisms
Intersectionality is a framework for understanding power, identity and inequality
-> basic layer for dealing with insights from cross-cultural psychology
• Exists alongside other visions, frameworks or approaches
• Often, one vision or approach is developed in response to another
Framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social
and political identities (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality,
ability) combine to create unique, overlapping, and
interdependent systems of discrimination or privilege.
NED: Hoe verschillende sociale indentiteiten die eigen zijn aan
elke persoon met elkaar verbonden zijn. Kruising leidt tot
verschillende unieke ervaringen van discriminatie en privilege.
INTERSECTIONALITY IS ABOUT DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Diversity = verscheidenheid
• The realization that every individual is unique
• There are differences between certain groups of people
Kan obv. Gender, etniciteit, seksuele oriëntatie, beperking, sociale klasse, religie..
How to deal with diversity?
Exclusion: 'normal people' vs. 'non-normal people'
Vb. het niet aanvaarden van kinderen in het gewone onderwijs
à dominant circle
Segregation (separation): separating certain groups
Vb. segregatie in arbeidsmarkt obv gender (poetsvrouw vs.
brandweerman)
à dominant circle
Assimilation: those who (can) adapt are considered to be part of society
Vb. hoofddoekenverbod (culturele/religieuze identiteit opgeven om
zich aan te passen aan de dominante cultuur)
à dominant circle
1
,Integration: minorities take over characteristics of the majority culture, to be part of the
society while preserving their identity
Vb. integreren van Niet-Europese nieuwkomers via
inburgeringstrajecten
à dominant circle
Inclusion: engagement – openness to differences, without a dominant voice / role that
determines who does or does not belong
STARTING POINT: equality and equal rights
(<>normality)
à No dominant circle
Gelijkwaardigheid: iemand hoeft niet hetzelfde te
zijn, maar is wel hetzelfde waard en heeft
dezelfde rechten
OPENESS TO DIFFERENCES: HOW TO DO THAT?
Putting on a different lens
developing awareness of one’s own stereotypes and prejudices (vooroordelen)
Categorising (~ creating order in complexity) = ‘mental shortcuts’
• A natural cognitive process (we doen dit onbewust)
• Also used in social interactions
(als we iemand tegenkomen gaan we die persoon onbewust indelen in allerlei categorieën)
However, categorising can lead to
Stereotyping
- Attributing a specific characteristic to an entire group
- Assuming that all individuals within that group share the same trait
- Overlooking individual variation and unique characteristics
- Vb. Fransen zijn romantisch, Duitsers drinken veel bier, jongens houden van voetbal..
Prejudices
- A negative attitude towards someone without sufficient evidence
- An evaluation based solely on group membership
- Vb. ouderen kunnen geen bijdrage meer leveren aan de maatschappij, vrouwen met een
hoofddoek zijn onderdanig
Everyone engages in stereotypical thinking and holds prejudices at times
• We are often unaware of our implicit biases
• Prejudices can distort or obstruct rational and critical thinking
Zelf al weten we dat ze
bestaan denken we
vaak niet aan de meest
voor hand liggende
voorbeeld, nl. de
topchirurg is een vrouw
2
,How do stereotypes and prejudices develop?
• Through repeated exposure (books, media, education, socialisation, institutional practices)
• Through cultural narratives that define what is considered “normal”
• Through processes of categorisation that simplify social complexity
• Stereotypes can strengthen in-group cohesion, but they also reinforce hierarchies
between groups
The structural risk
When stereotypes and prejudices are treated as objective truth:
→ discrimination
→ exclusion
→ racism and other forms of structural inequality
→ “us vs. them” thinking (polarisation)
Importantly, these processes are not only individual — they can become embedded in
institutions, policies and professional practices
What can we do about this?
1.Reflexive awareness (bewustwording)
• Identify blind spots
• Recognise how your own position shapes perception
2. Structural consciousness
• Question dominant norms
• Ask: Who benefits? Who is disadvantaged?
3. Practice intersectional thinking (kruispuntdenken)
• Move beyond single categories
• Think in terms of intersecting partial identities
• Analyse power relations, not just differences
INTERSECTIONALITY: WE ALL OCCUPY SOCIAL POSITIONS
In every society, there are social ordering principles (“assen” / axes of meaning)
They structure:
• How society is organized
• How we see ourselves
• How others see us
• Our access to opportunities
>> We are all positioned on these axes
>> these axes are also
identity axes
14 axes of identity
(Helma Lutz, 2002)
3
, AXES ARE POWER-LADEN
HOW we look at each of these axes is therefore not neutral, but
- context-dependent
changes across time, place, demographic composition, institutional setting,...
- (Inevitably) normative, i.e., linked to dominant norms
= what is considered “normal,” “non-deviant,” or “desirable”
Vb. in onze Westerse context is dat: Witte,hetero, christelijke mannen van
midden/bovenklasse zonder beperking
- (Inevitably) – consequential, i.e. it structures advantage and disadvantage
Disadvantage/ Discriminatie
Vb. Mensen die niet tot de hogere klasse behoren kunnen klassisme ervaren
Vb. Mensen die niet tot heteroseksuele norm behoren kunnen heteroseksisme
ervaren
Privileges/ advandages
Vb. Mannen kunnen vrijer en met minder vrees in de publieke ruimte dwalen
Vb. Mensen met hogere klasse hebben makkelijker toegang tot hoger onderwijs
Ex. Norm = white skin
Missing poster white man vs. dark skinned man
Man is missing …
Vs.
Dark-skinned man is missing…
FROM DIVERSITY THINKING TO INTERSECTIONALITY
“Flat diversity thinking” assumes:
• Categories are dichotomous (man/woman)
• Categories are power-neutral
• Categories are independent
• Differences are purely descriptive
! Intersectionality challenges this.
It asks:
• Who benefits?
• Who is disadvantaged?
• In which context?
THE CORE OF INTERSCTIONALITY
People are not defined by one axis (~ partial identity).
Axes intersect!
×Your gender
× your class
× your ethnicity
× your migration status
× your health
× your age…
4
