Antiracism, Intersectionality and the Struggle for Dignity

Dr Mónica Moreno Figueroa (University of Cambridge)

Tue 11 Feb, 12:30-2pm, Lecture Room 2 (8 Mill Lane). Sandwiches will be provided from 12pm at the Sociology Department (16 Mill Lane, across the road).

This event is part of the 2019-20 Sociology Semiar Series.

This lecture, based on a text developed by Prof Mara Viveros Vigoya and myself, looks at intersectionality as a key strategy for antiracist work. Through an analysis of how anti-racist practices mobilise gender repertoires, we ask critical questions about the links between processes of racism and sexism. Distinguishing gender repertoires from stereotypes, and looking for the links between “race” and “gender” within antiracist discourse and practice, this chapter explores what an intersectional perspective brings to antiracist work. Based on the correlation of what we have called “degrees of affectation” and the linkage between antiracist process with gender repertoires, we organise our discussion around four key intersectional links: 1) debates around the access of Black men to canonical masculinity, 2) the revenues of Black female beauty, 3) the risks and gains of racialized images of the female body, and 4) widening the notions of “Black” and “Indigenous” motherhood. Using examples from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, we explore how anti-racist processes are imbricated with other struggles, based on the multiple positions of the actors involved. The paper offers a critically nuanced analysis of the pros and cons of using intersectionality as part of a radical approach to liberation and oppression. We conclude by reflecting on three kinds of intersectional modalities we see emerging from the data: intersectionality to access, intersectionality to resignify and intersectionality to disrupt. 

You can find out more about this research on the LAPORA website.

(Poster background artwork "Concurso" by Cecilica Jacintos Zapata 2013)

2019-20 Seminar Series