The Complexities and Potential of Theorizing Gender, Caste, Race, and Class

Abstract

Most economists have not yet grappled with the demands of intersectional scholarship, which recognizes the intertwined nature of gender, race, class, caste and other influences on the economic situation of individuals and groups. Among economists, feminist economists may have made the most progress and be best positioned to break further ground, though we can do better and much remains to be done. This article synthesizes the case for intersectional work, reviews the state of the economic literature, describes the contributions of the articles in this special issue of Feminist Economics on "gender, color, caste and class," and sketches directions for the future.Race, Gender, Caste, Class, Intersectionality, Feminist Economics,

Social Provisioning as a Starting Point for Feminist Economics

“…4 Fifth, many researchers identifying themselves as feminist economists incorporate considerations of class, race-ethnicity, and other factors into their research, recognizing the limits of theorizing ''women'' as a homogeneous category. For example, the July 2002 issue of Feminist Economics, dedicated to issues of ''gender, color, caste, and class,'' represents, in the words of the volume's editors, ''steps toward an intersectional analysis'' (Rose Brewer, Cecilia Conrad, and Mary C. King 2002) in which the interactions of race, gender, and other historically specific social categories can be better understood. Also important has been the recognition of differing ''standpoints'' 5 in illuminating women's varying experiences across cultures; the growing literature by feminists from countries of the South has been crucial to this process.…”

Multiple Inequalities, Intersectionality and the European Union

“…Another example can be found in the work of Adib and Guerrier (2003), who analyse the interlocking of gender, nationality, race, ethnicity and class for women working in the hotel industry. Also concerned with the issue of work and the economy, Brewer et al (2002) were instrumental in introducing the concept of intersectionality into the discipline of economics by editing a journal special issue on the intertwined influence of gender, race, class and caste on the economic situation of individuals and groups. As yet, no work has been done on whether all possible intersections might be relevant at all times, or when and where some of them might be most salient (but see Yuval-Davis, this issue, for discussion of this).…”

Multiple identities, multiple-discrimination: A critical review

“…However, with a few exceptions (George A. Akerlof and Rachel E. Kranton 2000;Rose M. Brewer, Cecilia A. Conrad, and Mary C. King 2002), the discipline of economics remains largely silent on the subject of multiple-discrimination. The simplicity of basic assumptions underpinning orthodox economics may be a partial explanation for this paucity, but heterodox economics too has shied away from this terrain.…”

“…How, then, do the heterodox schools fair? Feminist economic analysis incorporates the only explicit consideration of intersectional analysis, which recognizes the intertwined nature of gender, race, class, ethnicity, religion, disability, and caste, among other categories (Amott and Matthaei 1996;Brewer, Conrad, and King 2002). Rightfully, these scholars recognize that economists generally neglect the interconnections of social positions and categories, which are usually socially constructed and embedded in a historical and social context (Brewer, Conrad, and King 2002).…”