In Class Instructions for Intersectionality/Privilege Walk Day

Debriefing from Readings on Intersectionality

1. “Intersectionality, for many theorists (see Brah, 1996; Brah and Phoenix, 2004; Lewis, 2006), is a way to challenge subjectification based on gendered assumptions, essentialized difference, racialization, and other post-colonial regimes of power….dimensions of social life (economic, political, cultural, psychic, subjective, and experiential) cannot be divided into singular realms of analysis, but must be addressed in accordance with their ‘contradictory and conflictual relations to each other’” Use this passage to create your own definition of intersectionality as it
   relates to the study of media and popular culture.
2. Please reflect on what you think the author means by: “cultural identity is ‘not an essence, but a positioning’”
3. “The privileged nature of white/Western feminism means that the ‘otherness’ of the Other woman ‘disrupts the unity of “women” as the foundation for feminism’ and thus, we are forced to confront and engage with difference instead of relying on the (un)common ground of ‘woman’ (Ang, 2001:182).” Reflect briefly on how this relates to the #FeminismIsForWhiteWomen and #BlackPowerIsForBlackMen movements

Snowball activity

• Take out a piece of paper (do NOT put your name on it)
• Please write down responses to the following:
• Overall, how did it feel to take part of the activity?
• How did it feel to take steps forward?
• How did it feel to take steps back?
• Were there any statements that made you feel particularly uncomfortable?
• What was the point of this activity?
• How can you apply what you learned in this activity to the study of popular culture and mass media?
• Finally, does this activity give you any ideas for rules of conduct that you’d like to propose to the class going forward with critical media discussions?
• Crumple up the piece of paper, and throw it into the center of the room
• After everyone else has done so, please choose one ball of paper, read it, and decide if you would like to read it out loud and/or respond to it in the class discussion.