What is Intersectionality?
Aspects of identity and lived experience are often interrelated, or "intersectional," such that individuals or groups may experience overlapping areas of discrimination or disadvantage. For example, an individual might identify as queer, as a person of colour, and as differently abled. The term was coined by UCLA and Columbia Law School Professor Kimberl茅 Crenshaw in her 1989 article "" in the University of Chicago Legal From. Crenshaw problematized the "single-axis framework" which conceptualizes race and gender discrimination happening in "mutually exclusive categories" and negates the "multidimensionality of Black women's experiences" (p. 139).
This 'multidimensionality' was interpreted in visual form by educator and sketchnoter, .
Graphic and used with permission from Sylvia Duckworth.
- View and participate in the used by the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.
- Review on how power, privilege, and social identities intersect. An accompanying is available.
- Participate in the exercise (p.18), featured in Toolkit 1: Getting Started - Diversity and Identity from the (CCDI).
- Review "" from the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at Tufts University.
Intersectionality & Positionality
The multiple identities that shape our experiences and relationships are part of our sense of positionality -- how each of us is situated in the world and how this influences perception, assumptions, and interactions -- whether the dynamics of teaching and learning or in day-to-day navigation of the varied spaces at UTSC.
Darla Benton Kearney, Teaching and Learning Consultant for UDL at Mohawk College identifies several factors shaping our understanding of positionality. They take into consideration "values, views, and location in time and space that influence how one engages with and understands the world... what knowledge you produce and value, and the biases through which everything you say, think, and do, is filtered intentionally or otherwise" (, 2022).
- Read 鈥溾(2019) by Danielle Jacobson and Nida Mustafa in The International Journal for Qualitative Methods. This tool acknowledges: 鈥(1) the fluidity of our ever-changing social identities; (2) the abstract, intangible nature of our social identities; (3) the difficulty of knowing which facets of our social identity are more influential over time and place; and (4) how our social identities impact the research process鈥 (p.2).
- Read from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) by Darla Benton Kearney (2022);
- View "" from the University of California Los Angeles Library on the connection between positionality and research.
Starting Points for Teaching: Critical Reflection
The Working Circle report recognizes that "equity-based, anti-racist, and anti-colonial work is messy, hard, and uncomfortable" (p. 5). The degree of discomfort may vary from person to person, acknowledging differences based on lived experiences and identity, familiarity, and comfort with EDI approaches related to curriculum and pedagogy. In all cases, a level of humility is required, recognizing that the work of the curriculum review necessitates a collective commitment to learning and critical reflection about the histories and knowledge hierarchies that have shared specific disciplines. Self-reflection is a form of learning where questions are posed, biases are challenged, and alternative approaches to teaching are imagined (;
The materials gathered in this section and across the resource hub have been curated to help facilitate critical reflection alongside tangible tools that can help support pedagogical and curricular development and create a greater sense of belonging for our students at UTSC.
Office of Vice-Principal Academic & Dean (OVPD) Self-Reflection Tools
The EDI Learning Opportunity Reflection Tool and EDI Learning Opportunity Reflection Tracker were developed in 2023 by Shelley Eisner, Katherine Shwetz, and Andrew Situ as part of ongoing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) work in the OVPD at UTSC.
The tools are designed to be used together and are private documents that may be downloaded to your computer. The tracker is intended to provide you with a birds-eye view of your learnings, helping you reflect on the trajectory and focus of your EDI journey. The reflection tool is intended to support you in processing individual learning opportunities and provide you with opportunities to reflect in nuanced and specific ways about what you learn. These documents are designed to be supportive, not burdensome; you are encouraged to make these files work for you by using, changing, or transforming the documents until they meet your priorities. Related Reading: , developed by the Teaching Assistants' Training Program, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, University of Toronto, and available through eCampusOntario.
- "" was developed by the Sub-Circle on Institutional Resources and Related Supports as part of the curriculum review process. It is included in Appendix A in the Working Circle report to assist in developing or revising resources (pp.86-88). Related Reading: , created by UTSC's Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) includes a set of guiding questions to support syllabus development with a focus on students' diverse knowledges and experiences.
- Kah茅rakwas Donna Goodleaf is the Director of Decolonizing Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Concordia University . In a , Goodleaf explains her process of "working with faculty in deconstructing and applying principles of Indigenous Decolonization to course design, curriculum, and pedagogical practices." Donna Goodleaf discusses the importance of faculty being engaged and reflective in the choices with course design and how this impacts student learning.
- "" (2020) by Dea Robinson et al. in The American Journal of Medicine offers an important example of how leaders, regardless of institutional setting, can address and interrupt implicit bias and address organizational culture by using the "5 Rs of Cultural Humility (5 Rs: Reflection, Respect, Regard, Relevance, Resiliency)" (p.161). The authors suggest that a shift toward cultural humility happens "... when leaders cognitively couple the 5 Rs with thinking and feeling and are seen applying this coupling in action through daily interactions..." (p.161).
- ""(2023) was created in partnership with Simon Fraser University by multiple authors in the Times Higher Education online magazine. Related Reading: "" (2021) by Anamika Twyman-Ghoshal and Daniele Carkin Lacorazza
- and creating welcoming and respectful classroom spaces are available in the FAQ section on the Welcome page. Related Reading: and
- at UTSC's CTL offer consultations to support your understanding and implementation of the material referenced and explored within the hub.
- Nicola Dove is the Anti-racist Pedagogies Educational Developer in the Centre for Teaching and Learning. Nicola developed the module which provides resources and guidance for integrating anti-racist curriculum and pedagogical approaches.
- Cheryl Lepard is the Universal Design for Learning Educational Developer in the Centre for Teaching and Learning. Cheryl developed the module looking at the pedagogical approach that supports accessible course design and creating a learning environment to reach as many learners as possible.
- "" (2017) by Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo
Thinking about Intersectionality & Positionality
- (2017) by Frances Henry et al. critically examines the experiences of racialized and Indigenous scholars and the social, psychological toll it takes on them. The book explores how the intersections of neoliberalism and Whiteness work to create "unconscious race and gender biases" in the university.
- 鈥" (2018) by Dr. Audrey Kobayashi (Queen's University), published in asserts that "Women of colour in Canadian academia are notable for being unseen" (p. 60). Kobayashi considers how racism is produced and reproduced in the academy... [and] the "lip service" universities make to challenging systemic discrimination and the realities of "those who make up the university community [who] continue to act in ways that marginalize and, therefore, discriminate" (p. 69).
- , a blog created by feminist writer and independent scholar Sara Ahmed, whose work lies at the intersection of feminist, queer, and race studies. Ahmed's work considers "how bodies and worlds take shape; and how power is secured and challenged in everyday life worlds as well as institutional cultures." Her 2012 book, explores the complexities and tensions associated with the term "diversity" in the university.
- (2005), edited by G. Sophie Harding, is a groundbreaking anthology that argues that "health care workers cannot begin to solve the problems associated with achieving wellness for Women of Colour and Indigenous Women without an extensive dialogue with the women they are treating" (p. xvii). The book is organized into two sections which examine: 1. The systemic barriers impacting health and wellness, and 2. A collection of thoughts and expressions from Indigenous and Women of Colour coping with illness.