A Critique of Our Own? On Intersectionality and “Epistemic Habits” in a Study of Racialization and Homonationalism in a Nordic Context

Abstract

This article discusses how debates regarding intersectionality enable selfreflexitivity, positionality and critique, but also risk becoming routinized gestures in activist and academic settings. Through reflections on the notions of epistemic habits and epistemic whiteness, the article discusses key critiques of intersectional analysis, such as tendencies to re-centre whiteness, as a methodological concern. To illuminate the argument, I consider an example from a research project a colleague and I conducted on racialization and homonationalism in LGBTIQ activist work in a Finnish context, which brought up the question of whether our analysis reinforced or challenged whiteness. The aim of this article is to reflect on how intersectionality is a crucial concept for feminist knowledge production while also attending to and problematizing some presuppositions, that are routinely repeated as self-evident starting points in intersectionality research.

A feminist ethos for caring knowledge production in transdisciplinary sustainability science

“…The concept of intersectionality was first coined by black feminist scholar and civil rights activist Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989Crenshaw ( , 2017 to highlight the complex interplay of multiple systems of oppression (such as racism, sexism and classism) that affect the identities and experiences of marginalised individuals and groups differently. For a critical overview on depoliticizing and discriminatory tendencies in the intersectionality discourse, see Davis (2020) and Salskov (2020).…”

Reflections of a white healthcare professional researching ethnicized and racialized minorities: Autoethnographically explored emotions revealing implicit advantages and consequences

“…Therefore, to analyse interactions between the researcher and researched, it is pertinent to explore intersectional social positions (Jensen, 2012). Despite international discussions, critiques and debates, intersectionality is a ‘travelling concept’, which means that it has different forms in different contexts (Christensen and Jensen, 2012; Salskov, 2020). In an intersectional analysis, the aim is to deconstruct existing positionings and perceptions of normalcy.…”

El homonacionalismo en las derechas radicales occidentales. Génesis, desarrollo y su impacto en el contexto español

“…Existen otros ejemplos en países como Suecia, Noruega, Dinamarca o Inglaterra en los que el homonacionalismo se esgrime como una manera de camuflar el racismo y la xenofobia habitual de la derecha radical (Liinason, 2023;Aldrin Salskov, 2020). Si bien es cierto, este tipo de constructos ultranacionalistas siguen siendo minoritarios ya que en la mayoría de los países en los que la derecha radical gobierna o tiene capacidad de influir en la legislación, promueve leyes contra el colectivo LGBTIQ+ -además de esgrimir una crítica feroz hacia los inmigrantes, incluidos los musulmanes.…”