Dialogical Epistemology—An Intersectional Resistance to the “Oppression Olympics”

Abstract

I first met Patricia Hill Collins in Vienna during a conference in the 1990s, which happened to be her first trip outside the United States. However, I had already "met" her years earlier when I discovered her wonderful book Black Feminist Thought (1990). Patricia Hill Collins the woman proved to be even more wonderful than her book, and we've continued since to interact in a sporadic way, especially whenever we are in the same corner of the globe, with overlapping interests in racism, feminism, citizenship, motherhood, belonging, and intersectionality. In this short piece, however, I want to focus on the crucial importance that Collins's writing has had on my thinking concerning standpoint theory, situated knowledge and imagination, and transversal politics of solidarity. 1 I quote Collins from two of her writings. In Black Feminist Thought, she says, Each group speaks from its own standpoint and shares its own partial, situated knowledge. But because each group perceives its own truth as partial, its knowledge is unfinished [my emphasis]. . . . Partiality and not universality is the condition of being heard; individuals and groups forwarding knowledge claims without owning their position are deemed less credible than those who do. . . . Dialogue is critical to the success of this epistemological approach. Nevertheless-resisting power inequities must be addressed . . . [and] "decentering" the dominant group is essential. (1990, And in her comment on Hekman's article on standpoint theory, she comments, Although it is tempting to claim that Black women are more oppressed than everyone else (. . .), this simply may not be the case. (1997, 74)

Crossing Boundaries During Peace and Conflict

“…However, the analysis of the social mobilization and demobilization processes shows that identity shifts also lead to social change visible in the way those shifts become manifest in social structures. The formation of solidarity on gender demands during peace and conflict provides evidence of a change of symbolic boundaries; it shows a shift in awareness, political values, levels of commitment (McAdam, Tilly Tarrow, 2001, p. 26), and spaces of belonging (Fortier, 2000;Yuval-Davis 2011). Symbolic boundaries shape the way in which certain practices, roles, and power dynamics feel not only acceptable, but also normal.…”

“…Looking at boundary change from an intersectionality perspective (Crenshaw, 1991;Hill Collins, 1990;Yuval-Davis, 2006) reveals how changes in different identity categories are interconnected.…”

“…Feminist research has identified opportunities and difficulties in applying the concept of intersectionality to policy analysis and research practice (McCall, 2005;Yuval-Davis, 2006; for instance Choo and Ferree critically remarked that the concept is often used without explaining what it entails (2010, p. 130). Further, the aim for completeness at the expense of clarity of analysis reveals a challenge in applying an intersectional research approach (McCall, 2005(McCall, , p. 1778.…”

“…Chapter 1 introduces identity as key concept and ethnicity and gender as central boundaries, highlighting the significance of intersectional analysis of boundaries during ethno-national conflicts and peace processes. The chapter also addresses challenges in the application of the concept of intersectionality to policy analysis and research practice (McCall, 2005;Yuval-Davis, 2006). It does so by further developing Michelle Lamont's boundary approach and proposing a multilayered analysis of the ways in which different identity shifts are interrelated with objectified social changes.…”

An Intersectional Approach to Research on Unemployment

“…Collins 1993;Kolářová 2008;McCall 2005;Walby 2007;Yuval-Davis 2012]. Patricia H. Collins [1990: 276] hovoří o existenci struktury nerovností, která se vztahuje k různým oblastem distribuce moci (strukturální, disciplinující, hegemonické a interpersonální).…”