Intersectionality - Definition and Discussion

Intersectionality refers to the simultaneous experience of categorical and hierarchical classifications including but not limited to race, class, gender, sexuality, and nationality. It also refers to the fact that what is often perceived as disparate forms of oppression, like racism, classism, sexism, and xenophobia, are actually mutually dependent and intersecting in nature, and together they compose a unified system of oppression. Thus, the privileges we enjoy and  the discrimination we face  are a product of our unique positioning in society as determined by these social classifiers. The Intersectional Approach Sociologist Patricia Hill Collins developed and explained the concept of intersectionality in her groundbreaking book, Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment, published in 1990. Today intersectionality is a mainstay concept of critical race studies, feminist studies, queer studies, the sociology of globalization, and a critical sociological approach, generally speaking. In addition to race, class, gender, sexuality, and nationality, many of todays sociologists also include categories like age, religion, culture, ethnicity, ability, body type, and even looks in their intersectional approach. Crenshaw on Race and Gender in the Legal System The term â€Å"intersectionality† was first popularized in 1989 by critical legal and race scholar  Kimberlà © Williams Crenshaw  in a paper titled, â€Å"Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrines, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics,† published in The University of Chicago Legal Forum. In this paper, Crenshaw reviewed  legal proceedings to illustrate how it is the intersection of race and gender that shapes how black men and women experience the legal system. She found, for example, that when cases brought by black women failed to match the circumstances of those brought by white women or by black men, that their claims were not taken seriously because they didnt fit perceived normative experiences of race or gender. Thus, Crenshaw concluded that black women were disproportionately marginalized due to the simultaneous, intersecting nature of how they are read by others as both raced and gender ed subjects. Collins and a â€Å"Matrix of Domination While Crenshaw’s discussion of intersectionality centered on what she has referred to as â€Å"the double bind of race and gender,† Patricia Hill Collins broadened the concept in her book Black Feminist Thought. Trained as a sociologist, Collins saw the importance of folding class and sexuality into this critical analytic tool, and later in her career, nationality too. Collins deserves credit for theorizing a much more robust understanding of intersectionality, and for explaining  how the intersecting forces of race, gender, class, sexuality, and nationality manifest in a â€Å"matrix of domination.† Privileges and Forms of Oppression The point of understanding intersectionality is to understand the variety of privileges and/or forms of oppression  that one may experience simultaneously at any given time.  For instance, when examining the social world through an intersectional lens, one can see that a wealthy, white, heterosexual man who is a citizen of the United States experiences the world from the apex of privilege. He is in the higher strata of economic class, he is at the top of the racial hierarchy of U.S. society, his gender places him in a position of power within a patriarchal society, his sexuality marks him as â€Å"normal,† and his nationality bestows upon him a wealth of privilege and power in global context. The Ideas and Assumptions Encoded in Race By contrast, consider the everyday experiences of a poor, undocumented Latina living in the U.S. Her skin color and phenotype mark her as â€Å"foreign† and â€Å"other† compared with the perceived normality of whiteness. The ideas and assumptions encoded in her race suggest to many that she is not deserving of the same rights and resources as others who live in the U.S. Some may even assume that she is on welfare, manipulating the health care system, and is, overall, a burden to society. Her gender, especially in combination with her race, marks her as submissive and vulnerable, and as a target to those who may wish to exploit her labor and pay her criminally low wages, whether in a factory, on a farm, or for household labor. Her sexuality too and that of the men who may be in positions of power over her is an axis of power and oppression, as it can be used to coerce her through the threat of sexual violence. Further, her nationality, say, Guatemalan, and her undocumen ted status as an immigrant in the U.S., also functions as an axis of power and oppression, which might prevent her from seeking health care when needed, from speaking out against oppressive and dangerous work conditions, or from reporting crimes committed against her due to fear of deportation. The Analytic Lens of Intersectionality The analytic lens of  intersectionality  is valuable here because it allows us to consider a variety of social forces simultaneously, whereas a class-conflict analysis, or gender or racial analysis, would limit our ability to see and understand the way privilege, power, and oppression operate in interlocking ways. However, intersectionality is not just useful for understanding how different forms of privilege and oppression exist simultaneously in shaping our experiences in the social world. Importantly, it also helps us to see that what is perceived as disparate forces are actually mutually dependent and co-constitutive. The forms of power and oppression present in the life of the undocumented Latina described above are particular not just to her race, gender, or citizenship status, but are reliant on common stereotypes of Latinas in particular, because of how their gender is understood in the context of their race, as submissive and compliant. Because of its power as an analytic tool, intersectionality is one of the most important and widely used concepts in sociology today.

Organizational Behavior ( Ob ) Studies The Influence That...

Organizational behavior (OB) studies the influence that individuals, groups, and organizational structure have on behavior within organizations. More succinctly, it is the study of how people interact in organizations. This paper will briefly review the following five topics that are included in the organizational behavior study process: 1. Managerial Functions 2. Corporate Culture 3. Organizational Culture 4. Strategic Planning 5. Tactical Planning Managerial Functions Management is the practice of attaining organizational goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources. This process has four basic managerial functions. The four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Planning is the manner of setting objectives and deciding what actions will to accomplish them. Organizing is the process of assigning tasks, allocating resources, and arranging and coordinating the activities of individuals and groups to implement plans. Leading is the practice of touching individual’s enthusiasm to work hard and direct their efforts to fulfill plans and accomplish objectives. Controlling is the procedure of measuring work performance, comparing results to objectives, and taking corrective action as needed. Managers have ten types of managerial roles that they perform that help them manage their organizations personnel. There are interpersonal roles (figurehead, leader, and liaison) that involve interactions withShow MoreRelatedAn Introduction to Organizational Behavior1638 Words   |  7 PagesAn Introduction to Organizational Behavior 1. 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Ethics - Professionalism and Governance for McDonalds Framework

Question: Discuss about theEthics, Professionalism and Governance for McDonalds Framework. Answer: McDonalds Framework is considered as a major framework for solving different ethical issues in the workplace. Five specific stages can be seen in this model to solve ethical dilemma in workplace and this model can be sued to solve the issues in the case study of Pico PCs Manufacturing Company. Collection of Information and Identification of the Problem The Australian Computer Society, commonly known as ACS, has mentioned about some major code of ethics or ethical values that the computer professionals are needed to comply with. From the provided case study, it can be observed that Kushlani is facing a major ethical dilemma regarding the manufacturing of 64 gold wires by the human labors. The CEO of Pico PCs wants to carry on with the manufacturing process in spite of knowing the fact that this could affect the eyes of the labors and can cause blindness. Specification of Feasible Alternatives In this case, there can be two feasible solutions. The first solution is to carry on the manufacturing process of wires with the help of robots and leave the idea to carry on the manufacturing process by the humans. The next alternative solution is to stop the manufacturing of 64 gold wires. Use of Ethical Resources to Identify the Significant Factors Some major ethical principles are involved in this provided situation. They are discussed below: The Primacy of the Public Interest: It is required to put the interest of public above all the business and professional interests. However, in the provided situation, it can be observed that the CEO of the company is only considering his own business interest and wants to continue the manufacturing process in the presence of serious health damages of the labors (Crane and Matten 2016). The Enhancement of Quality of Life: As per this code, the companies are required to enhance the quality of life of those people involves in the business. However, in the provided situation, the opposite of this rule can be seen. The quality of life of the labors will be largely affected in case the company starts manufacturing with humans (Zheng et al. 2015). Professionalism: Companies are responsible for enhancing the integrity of the society and to respect each member. However, the CEO of Pico PCs is trying to degrading the integrity of the society by staring the manufacturing process by humans. Test of Possible Solutions It is required for the company to identify the potential parties impacted by their business operations. In this case, the labors of island are the party (Zheng et al. 2015). The company is required to protect and promote health and safety of the employees and the protect parties. In this case, the CEO needs to consider the health issue of the labors of pacific island (Bolman and Deal 2017). The company is also required to understand and provide due regard to the affected people. Hence, the CEO should leave the idea of manufacturing the wires by human in the presence of extreme health issue. It is required to take appropriate action against the member violating the code of ethics. Thus, Kushlani needs to take correct action against the CEO (Bolman and Deal 2017). It is required to protect and promote professionalism. Thus, the CEO is required to comply with the ACS codes of ethics to protect and promote professionalism. In the provided situation, the most relevant Australian legislation is Work Health and Safety Act 2011. This act contributes to the development of national policies for improving the health and safety of the workers; and the arrangements of compensation all over the Australia (business.gov.au 2018) Make the Choice Thus, based on the above discussion, it needs to be mentioned that Kushlani is needed to convince the CEO about the negative effect of the manufacturing process by human so that he chooses to go with the first alternative (Zheng et al. 2015). References Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017.Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley Sons. Business.gov.au. (2018).Work Health and Safety (OHS) acts, regulations and codes of practice. [online] Available at: https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/workplace-health-and-safety/whs-oh-and-s-acts-regulations-and-codes-of-practice [Accessed 13 Apr. 2018]. Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2016.Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press. Zheng, D., Witt, L.A., Waite, E., David, E.M., van Driel, M., McDonald, D.P., Callison, K.R. and Crepeau, L.J., 2015. Effects of ethical leadership on emotional exhaustion in high moral intensity situations.The Leadership Quarterly,26(5), pp.732-748.

Mass Extinctions On The Earth Essay Example For Students

Mass Extinctions On The Earth Essay Intro:Sixty-five million years ago, some phenomenon triggered mass extinctions on the lands and in the oceans so profound that they define the geological boundary between the older Mesozoic Era, often called the Age of Reptiles, and the modern Cenozoic Era, the Age of Mammals.On a finer scale, the extinctions define the boundary between the Cretaceous (geological symbol, K), and Tertiary (T) periods. This mass extinction is usually referred to as the K-T extinctions. The dinosaurs became extinct during the K-T mass extinction. To examine how the K-T extinctions fit into a broader perspective, please see the The cause of the K-T extinctions is one of the great mysteries in science, and many scientists have proposed theories to account for it. Theories span a vast spectrum of causes including: sea level change, supernova explosions, climate change, and on and on. Beginning in the 1980s, two new theories became the topic of an intense scientific debate. They are the K-T impact extinctio n theory originated by the Nobelist physicist, Luis Alvarez, and his team, and the K-T Deccan Traps extinction theory, which, for short, is called volcano-greenhouse theory. Details of the Impact TheoryIn the mid-late 1970s, Luis Alvarez and his impact team began searching for the cause of the K-T extinctions. His evidence of impact was enrichment of the chemical, iridium, in a thin layer of clay a few centimenters thick at the K-T boundary. His original theory held that a giant asteroid struck earth 65 million years ago, blasting so much dust into the atmosphere that it blocked out sunlight, and plunged earth into the blackness and cold of a sudden, short-duration, impact winter.According to Alvarez theory, the global blackout triggered extinctions among the plant kingdom, and then among herbivores that depended upon plants for food, and then among the carnivores that ate the herbivores. Those smaller animals that could hide and hibernate until the sun came out again must have sruvived and formed the animals that there are today. There is other evidence for this theory : there is a layer of iridium found on top of the fossils which can be found all over the world. this is important becouse there is a lot of iridium on asteroids while on earth it is only deep down inside the crater. Details of the Volcano Theory:Another less popular theory to explain the disappearance of the dinosaurs suggests that a drop in the oxygen levels in the lower atmosphere led to the gradual death of all kinds of species. Robert Barner and Gary Landis of the U.S. Geological survey determined that the air that the dinosaurs consumed contained 50% more oxygen than the air today. This can be the same for us as trying to breathe to the same air found at the sea level as compared to air at 3500 m. There was a lot of volcanoe eruptions at the same time (and since they took up soo much air it was hard for the dinosaurs to breathe , so they fianlly died. The evidence is that the fossils found in the ground contain traces of lager traces of Oxygen. How can humans stop this?Since mankind is much smarter than the reptiles it is obvious that we can stop these asteroids from colliding with the earth. The only question is how. Now we have nuclear devices which can be put on these asteroids so that they can explode just in time before its course is doomed towards earth.