Lisa Bowleg, PhD, MA

Founder and President &

Meredith Loui

Research/Program Associate Intersectionality Training Institute May 8, 2023 Image3 (3)

Salon Title:

Grappling with Intersectional Praxis

Salon Guest:

Image1 (2) Lisa Rosenthal, PhD Associate Professor Department of Psychology (New York City) Pace University, New York City, NY US Salon Description Salon Date: April 12, 2023

Key Salon Takeaways

  • Many White scholars are not to taught to engage with their Whiteness, but reflexivity about the role of Whiteness in research, service, and activism and actively challenging Whiteness is vital to intersectionality work.
  • Within psychology, many people are talking about intersectionality, but few are talking about social justice, liberation, and systems of oppression. In essence, they are not practicing intersectionality.
  • A question that Lisa said she continues to grapple with, and posed to White salonistes and other White people doing intersectionality work, is: “What is my role and impact as a White, cis-hetero, US-born and based woman doing intersectionality work?” There appeared to be consensus among salonistes that when doing intersectionality work, awareness of one’s intersectional position(s), and their connection to power and privilege matters more than the intersectional positions themselves. Thus, the role of the privileged intersectional scholar is to be aware of that privilege and leverage it to dismantle systems of interlocking oppression.
  • Intersectional praxis is more than just talking, theorizing, or writing about intersectionality. Intersectional praxis is fundamentally about answering the question of how do we actually practice, implement and, live intersectionality? Lisa’s 2016 American Psychologist article (cited below) provides some answers. Namely, intersectional praxis involves:
    • Engaging and collaborating with communities;
    • Addressing and critiquing oppressive societal structures;
    • Working together and building coalitions across intersectional differences;
    • Attending to resistance, as well as resilience; and
    • Adding social justice to teaching curriculum.
Quote of the Chat: “Each scholar should have (1) a theoretical article about intersectionality; and (2) a praxis article where they apply the framework to make the world more just.” – Lynet Uttal, PhD

Resources from the Salon Discussion & Zoom Chat

Because most of the articles that we highlight during the salons and chats are copyrighted, we are not able to provide active links, just citations. Please let us know if you are having trouble locating an article (info@intersectionalitytraining.com) and we’ll do our best to try and get you a copy. On Intersectional Praxis
  • Rosenthal, L. (2016). Incorporating intersectionality into psychology: An opportunity to promote social justice and equity. American Psychologist, 71(6), 474.
Rest As Resistance Epistemologies of Ignorance
  • Bowleg, L., Del Río-González, A.M., Holt, S.L., Pérez, C., Massie J.S., Mandell, J.E, A & Boone, C. (2017). Intersectional epistemologies of ignorance: How behavioral and social science research shapes what we know, think we know, and don’t know about U.S. Black men’s sexualities. Journal of Sex Research, 4(4-5):577-603. https://doi: 10.1080/00224499.2017.1295300
  • Mills, C. W. (2007). White ignorance. In S. Sullivan & N. Tuana (Eds.), Race and Epistemologies of Ignorance (pp. 13-38). State University of New York.
  • Mills, C. W. (1997). The Racial Contract. Cornell University.
  • Sullivan, S., & Tuana, N. (Eds.). (2007). Race and Epistemologies of Ignorance. State University of New York.
On Whiteness and White Privilege
  • Brodkin, K. (1998). How Jews became White Folks and What that Says about Race in America. Rutgers University.
  • Ignatiev, N. (1995). How the Irish Became White. Routledge.
  • McIntosh, P. (2000). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in Women’s Studies. In T. E. Ore (Ed.), The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality (pp. 475-485). Mayfield.
On Reflexivity
  • Dropped in the chat by a saloniste and described as a “new horrible paper problematizing reflexivity”: Savolainen, J., Casey, P. J., McBrayer, J. P., & Schwerdtle, P.N. (2023). Positionality and Its problems: Questioning the value of reflexivity statements in research. Perspectives on Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221144988

Opportunity: Postdoctoral Fellowship for Global Trans Health and/or Intersectional Discrimination with Dr. Ayden Scheim

This position was still open when we went to press and so we feature it here again. Dr. Scheim is seeking to hire a postdoctoral fellow to work on NIH-funded studies of global trans health and/or intersectional discrimination (focus flexible depending on interests). The candidate should have survey research experience; a background in qualitative, mixed-methods, and/or psychometrics research is desirable. The position could be appropriate for people with PhDs in epidemiology, community health, psychology, sociology, or related fields. The start date is flexible but ideally in early Fall 2023, for one year with the possibility of extension for a second year. As per current Drexel University rules, standard NIH postdoc guidelines apply. The fellow will also receive a generous annual research allowance and assistance with moving expenses if they wish to relocate to Philadelphia (remote work is also an option). The fellow will have protected time to work on their own projects. Apply here.