Intersectional Identities Research Articles

Multiple levels of literacy in Kopano Matlwa’s literature. The case of Evening Primrose (2018)

The paper explores distinctive ways in which Kopano Matlwa’s novel Evening Primrose (2018) employs continuities and discontinuities between surface-level literary expression and underlying identity and cultural literacy. It is a desktop study centred on Kopano Matlwa’s novel Evening Primrose (2018) as a primary text, as well as of secondary expository texts for theoretical and earlier literary commentary that constitute the article’s conceptual matrix. I demonstrate how the author’s thematic manoeuvring challenges notions of determinist culture and official mapping as fixed, as well as espouse conceptions of globalism that accommodate identity and cultural heterogeneity. As I discuss stylistic dimensions of the narrative from the vantage point of the theory of ecocriticism, I include the tenets of Es’kia Mphahlele’s concept of African humanism as well as the concepts of ‘borderland’, ‘code-switching’ and ‘integration literacy’. My findings have led to the conclusion that the novelist’s discourses are encoded in the texture of the novel in ways that portray the South African post-apartheid milieu as informed by an intricate intersection of distinctive identity and cultural literacies that the various characters display. My scrutiny of the environment-adoptive cognitive processes in the mind of Matlwa’s characters has led to a novel analogy between integration identity and cultural literacy and unitary grammar, reached psycholinguistically through code-switching.Contribution: This study provides new insights into how the novelist Kopano Matlwa employs literary discourse uniquely to explore South Africa’s post-apartheid, evolving social psyche in ways that diagnostically assert alternative cultural identity intersections, readings and articulation. The paper plumbs beneath surface-level characterisation to externalise how key character categories of the novel under discussion do practicalise the potency of the post-apartheid context to forge a composite heterogeneity of cohabiting and mutually respecting cultures that have entered it. In novel ways, the theoretical matrix applied in the analysis of the novel galvanises a recognition of commonalities hitherto unidentified, mainly between tenets of originally Eurocentric ecocriticism and those of an Afrocentric African humanism. I compare the characters’ successful creation of new cultural literacies, integrated with a new environment, to a successful integration of unitary grammar related to the linguistic process of code-switching. In this way, a new kind of relationship is projected between literary analysis and language learning.

Multiple Dimensions of Non-western Rhetoric: A Systematic Review of the Literature

This systematic review explores publication trends and thematic coverage of non-western rhetoric in the last fifty years. Amidst growing interest, non-western rhetoric being underexplored prompts this article to identify research gaps and offer insights for future studies. Articles reviewed in this paper reveal that issues like resistance against western rhetorical dominance and countering orientalist perspectives, alongside translation’s role and unique features inherent in the non-west have occupied some space. Unexamined or underexamined areas vis-à-vis non-western rhetoric include environment, indigeneity, power dynamics, cultural context, identity intersections, and socioeconomics. Similarly, other underexplored aspects include modern media, digital communication, oral tradition’s adaptation, social justice rhetoric, and religion’s impact on the rhetoric of Bharatavarsha.

Identity and cultural expression in Nigerian hip hop

This paper explores the profound influence of vernacular language on the construction of identity and ideology within Nigerian hip hop music. By analyzing the lyrics of prominent Nigerian hip hop artists, the study highlights how artists like Olamide, 9ice, and Tuface utilize Nigerian Pidgin and local dialects such as Yoruba to forge a distinct cultural and national identity. These artists not only celebrate their linguistic heritage but also leverage it as a form of resistance against linguistic and cultural imperialism, promoting a nationalist ideology that resonates deeply with their local audience. The paper argues that the incorporation of vernacular language in Nigerian hip hop goes beyond mere artistic choice; it serves as a critical tool for social and political commentary. This linguistic strategy enables artists to address and critique socio-economic inequalities and political issues, making hip hop a voice for the marginalized. Moreover, the study sheds light on how the use of local dialects and pidgin enhances the accessibility and relatability of the music, thereby strengthening the bond between artists and their audiences. This exploration into the intersection of language, identity, and ideology in Nigerian hip hop not only enriches our understanding of the genre's cultural significance but also underscores the dynamic role of language in shaping artistic and social landscapes. The paper contributes to broader discourses on language policy, cultural expression, and identity politics within the global context of hip hop.

Misrecognition and labor market inclusion of refugee mothers

AbstractOne lakh eighty five thousand refugees from Ukraine have started working in Poland since the Russian war began. Drawing on Bourdieusian concepts of capitals, misrecognition, habitus, and the field, the paper theorizes the subjective and objective terms of inclusion across intersectional interplay of motherhood, ethnicity, and refugee status. In particular, we explore how intersectional marginalized identities of individuals shape their negotiation power over terms of their labor market inclusion. Using qualitative interview data from 10 Ukrainian working mothers in Poland who became refugees following the Russian war in Ukraine in 2022, we demonstrate that misrecognition leads to uneven relations of power curtailing working refugee mothers' agency to negotiate the terms of their inclusion.

Class Identity Signaling through the Strategic Rebranding of Traditional Egyptian Food-Related Terms on Digital Platforms

This study investigates the way re-branding traditional Egyptian food-related terms is strategically used by an emerging socio-economic class to assert their class identity in digital milieus. Specifically, it analyzes the strategies employed for the Englishization and hybridization of culinary culture and examines the underlying socio-cultural motivations and dynamics driving such an innovative linguistic practice. Drawing on insights from sociolinguistics and sociology, we analyzed two data sets collected by means of an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that there is an emerging exclusive socio-economic class that manifests itself through specific lexical preferences based on diverse types of lexical borrowings. Additionally, the Englishization of traditional Egyptian food-related terms partially drove the emerging class’s rejection of social equality and solidarity with collective socio-cultural Egyptian identity. Such a class division, primarily initiated on digital platforms, was found to be motivated by complex factors at play, including age, gender, educational level, lifestyle, technology usage, etc. The findings of this study have implications for understanding the intersection of language, class identity, and technology in contemporary Egyptian society.

Turning a mirror into a window: A duoethnographic study of international student identity

AbstractThis duoethnographical study explores the experiences of the two authors, Joanna and Sarah, as international students in the United States that do not quite fully fit in any of the categories described in research literature. Using a Borderland theoretical approach, the authors explore the in‐between spaces at the intersections of their identities in order to understand their complex experiences as white/wwwhite‐passing international doctoral students in the United States. Applying the Borderland approach to both intersectional and social identity frameworks, this chapter seeks to highlight the intricacies involved in the identity development of international students, especially when group membership is fluid. The results of this duoethnography challenge traditional notions of intersectionality of identity and uncover a dissonance in the identities of both authors.

A rapid realist review on leadership and career advancement interventions for women in healthcare

Women represent 70% of the global health workforce but only occupy 25% of health and social care leadership positions. Gender-based stereotypes, discrimination, family responsibilities, and self-perceived deficiencies in efficacy and confidence inhibit the seniority and leadership of women. The leadership inequality is often compounded by the intersection of race and socio-economic identities. Resolving gender inequalities in healthcare leadership brings women’s expertise to healthcare decision making, which can lead to equity of healthcare access and improve healthcare services. With the aim of enhancing women’s advancement to leadership positions, a rapid realist review (RRR) was conducted to identify the leadership and career advancement interventions that work for women in healthcare, why these interventions are effective, for whom they are effective, and within which contexts these interventions work. A RRR ultimately articulates this knowledge through a theory describing an intervention’s generative causation. The Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) for conducting a realist synthesis guided the methodology. Preliminary theories on leadership and career advancement interventions for women in healthcare were constructed based on an appraisal of key reviews and consultation with an expert panel, which guided the systematic searching and initial theory refinement. Following the literature search, 22 studies met inclusion criteria and underwent data extraction. The review process and consultation with the expert panel yielded nine final programme theories. Theories on programmes which enhanced leadership outcomes among women in health services or professional associations centred on organisational and management involvement; mentorship of women; delivering leadership education; and development of key leadership skills. The success of these strategies was facilitated by accommodating programme environments, adequacy and relevance of support provided and programme accessibility. The relationship between underlying intervention entities, stakeholder responses, contexts and leadership outcomes, provides a basis for underpinning the design for leadership and career advancement interventions for women in healthcare.

Art for Social Change: Aligning Values and Actions Toward Effective Activism

This participatory action research project involved 11 members of Art for Social Change, a higher education social activism group in the United States, using art to impact social change. Through cycles of action, reflection, and dialogue, members made changes within their organization and developed a deeper understanding of themselves and each other. Co-researchers reflected on their intersectional identities and how dialogue and art making in community helped widen and deepen their connections with each other. They identified how effective activism could be achieved in their group alongside two types of ineffective activism that impeded their goals. By fostering a community culture of change, the project exemplified how authenticity, compassion, and embracing tension and uncertainty cultivates critical consciousness and growth.

(Re)negotiating Asian and Asian American identities in solidarity as language teacher educators: An AsianCrit discourse analysis

AbstractThe historical and contemporary experiences of Asian/Asian Americans in the United States casts light on the significance of identity negotiation and construction. In this study, the identities of Asian/Asian American language teacher educators (LTEs) are examined within the current sociopolitical context, shedding light on the persistent pursuit of legitimacy and belonging within the Asian/Asian American LTE community. More specifically, this study examines the teaching philosophies of eight Asian/Asian American LTEs from different institutions and regions across the United States as a collective and critically reflexive entryway into their experiences and commitments as LTEs. Using AsianCrit to analyze participants' teaching statements and focus group discussions, this study uncovers (1) a commitment to asset‐based and culturally sustaining pedagogies, (2) identity‐informed convictions to foster critical consciousness in language teacher candidates; (3) pressures to downplay Asian intersectional identities to survive the Eurocentric norms of the job market; (4) a desire to do more than survive; and (5) the power of the collective for healing and liberation. The article concludes with a call for teacher education programs to create spaces for teacher educators to share lived experiences, foster community, and challenge the dominant narratives that marginalize Asian and other minoritized LTEs.

"It is endless … It is definitely challenging … But we experience growth out of it": negotiation patterns of Jewish Israeli women living in mixed families

ABSTRACT Mixed marriages challenge ethnic, racial and religious belonging. However, over the past few decades, there has been an increase in the number of mixed marriages in the Western world, as well as in Israel. The present study focuses on women living in mixed families in Israel – Jewish women who are married to Muslim Arab-Palestinian men. The study examines the negotiation patterns that these women use in order to shape their identities as women, partners and mothers during their daily family life. To examine how these women negotiate their multiple intersectional identity, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 Jewish women married or previously married to Muslim Arab-Palestinian men, and who raised children with them. Using a multilayered theoretical perspective, we analyze how these women negotiate with themselves and others in their circles of belonging regarding issues related to couplehood and child rearing. The negotiations conducted by these women take place on two levels (the personal level and the level of external-social relations), where different women are placed on the range between a Jewish-national identity, a hybrid identity, and a Muslim-Arab-Palestinian identity, depending on their intersectional locations and resources, including education, employment and place of residence. The intersectional locations of the women may leverage or limit their negotiation. The identification of these multilayered negotiation patterns contributes to the literature regarding the daily experience of women living in mixed families, particularly in deeply divided societies.

Promoting multicultural and social justice counselling competency of international counselling students

AbstractThe enrolment of international students in US counselling programmes has been increasing steadily over the past decade. These international counselling students, as an emerging international workforce, can contribute to the decolonisation of counselling practice through the development of their multicultural and social justice counselling competency (MSJCC)—an essential counselling competency to improve counselling outcomes across culturally diverse clients. However, current US counsellor training programmes often fail to adequately address the unique challenges faced by international counselling students, which can impede their progress in enhancing MSJCC. This article explores specific challenges international counselling students encounter in developing MSJCC, underscoring the importance of culturally sensitive pedagogies. By focusing on the intersectional identities of international counselling students, this article proposes targeted pedagogical strategies that align US counsellor education with the lived experiences and challenges faced by these students. Case studies are provided to illustrate the application of these pedagogies. Promoting international counselling students' MSJCC can help prepare an international workforce capable of effectively working with a diverse global population and contribute to the decolonisation of counselling practices.

Exploring the Radical Potential of Queer AZN and Pasifika CRT for Clinical Social Work Praxis

ABSTRACT In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis in Palestine, and the continued rise in hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, clinical social work praxis centering on the intersectional identities of queer and transgender AAPI communities has never been more vital. Through the visioning of an approach that addresses these intersecting identities and our own experiences with racism, cisheterosexism, and transphobia, we propose a theoretical framework, Queer AZN and Pasifika Critical Race Theory (CRT), for clinical social work praxis. Specifically, we describe six tenets of a Queer AZN and Pasifika CRT approach, which include (1) Queer, Brown Asianization; (2) Challenging mainstream ideologies about Asians, Pacific Islanders, Queer and Transgender Pacific Islanders, and Queer and Transgender Asian Americans; (3) Global, decolonial perspectives; (4) Re-constructive histories; (5) Multidisciplinary story, practice, praxis, and voice; and (6) a Social Justice perspective. We present cases as an opportunity to explore and reflect on clinical social work practice with queer and trans AAPI people through the lens of Queer AZN and Pasifika CRT.

Conceptualizing Australian First Nations Fashion, Art and Style

Decolonial scholars call for fashion definitions and perspectives from all cultures, and this article responds to these requests. Numerous theories and positions have inspired and shaped this conceptual model, including valuable insight from First Nations scholars who have explored fashion theories that integrate First Nations philosophies and ontologies. This First Nations fashion, art and style conceptual model explores the practice and outlines the themes of Culture, Expression, and Self-determination. First Nations fashion, art and style, as a term, acknowledges the holistic practice and industry, which includes fashion design, style, and the intersection of art via textiles and garments. The Cultural element within the model explores the continuation of cultural practice through design and dress and how it can contribute to cultural well-being. The Expression element describes contemporary cultural and intersectional identity forms through traditional and modern garments. The Self-determination component explores the autonomy of First Nations fashion practices and how First Nations people self-determine their fashion brands via cultural, financial, and environmental sustainability. This article concludes with recommendations for further theoretical and empirical research on First Nations fashion, art and style.

Breaking barriers: female and Hispanic undergraduate students experience gains in self-confidence and tolerance for obstacles during a sustainability-centered internship program in the USA

AbstractPrevious research has shown that female and Hispanic students who are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) face more educational barriers than their non-Hispanic, male peers. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of intersectional identities in the STEM space. In an effort to bridge the gap in underrepresented students' experience, the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies organizes a paid, interdisciplinary, team-based, experiential learning and internship program called the Green Teams that occurs during 10 weeks of the summer. The Green Teams Program strives to provide undergraduate students from all backgrounds–academically, economically, and demographically–an opportunity to develop their abilities in STEM fields and prepare them to enter the professional world. Based upon a survey given post-internship, self-reported learning gains for all students were analyzed to determine if the program had a significantly greater impact on students who are from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM in their STEM-related learning gains and their confidence in STEM disciplines. Through t-tests, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and a 2-way factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Hispanic and female participants were found to report significantly higher learning gains than their counterparts in multiple STEM areas from increased tolerance for obstacles to gains in self confidence. The results of the study suggest Hispanic and female students benefit from paid work experiences in STEM with diverse peers and intentional, supportive mentoring. This research on the Green Teams Program provides insight into how this approach positively impacts STEM education of individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM. The findings may help to further guide the development of the Green Teams Program and the adoption of paid, interdisciplinary, team-based, experiential learning and internship experiences in additional academic STEM settings.

Dance/movement interventions and students with exceptionalities: A critical review

This critical narrative review presents findings of physical activity interventions involving dance/movement for students with exceptionalities. This review describes the status of dance/movement intervention research supporting students’ intersectional identities, including exceptionality. Dance/movement research from 2013 to 2023 was reviewed to identify the extent to which research addresses dimensions of students’ identities. First, dance/movement research is situated within physical activity intervention research. Next, findings from 82 dance/movement research studies within education and exceptionality categories, including autism, physical, and social emotional dimensions is summarized. Of those studies, five studies address participants’ intersectional identities including exceptionality. Positive outcomes of dance/movement interventions for students with exceptionalities include relationship building, well-being, individualized education, and cultural identity. Specific intervention techniques of mirroring, rhythm matching, and social collaboration with teachers and peers are identified as efficacious for improving students’ social-emotional, cognitive, and motor skills. Dance/movement interventions are also related to teachers’ awareness and affirmation of dimensions of students’ backgrounds and interests through student-centered dance/movement techniques. While the social-emotional, cognitive, and motor benefits are widely documented in the research, only a handful of studies address aspects of participants’ identities other than exceptionality category and age. The findings of this review have implications for teachers’ increased self-awareness and knowledge of dance/movement intervention techniques in support of students’ developmental skill outcomes and intersectional identities, as well as for dance/movement intervention research that addresses multiple dimensions of students’ identities.

Queer Encounters as Poetic Disruptions of the Nation in Ozan Zakariya Keskinkılıç’s Prinzenbad (2022)

ABSTRACT Drawing on research highlighting the disruptive potential of migratory (e.g. Ahmed, S., 2000. Strange Encounters. Embodied Others in Post-Coloniality. London: Routledge, Heimböckel, D., and Weinberg, M., 2014. Interkulturalität als Projekt. Zeitschrift für interkulturelle Germanistik, 5 (2), 119–144) and urban encounters (e.g. Closs Stephens, A., 2013. The Persistence of Nationalism. From Imagined Communities to Urban Encounters. London: Taylor & Francis), this paper examines the everyday encounters in Ozan Zakariya Keskinkılıç’s debut poetry collection Prinzenbad (2022). More specifically, the analysis focuses on the question of how the depicted encounters unsettle a nationalist imaginary characterised by homogeneity, linearity and unity. The speaker of Keskinkılıç’s largely autobiographical poems navigates a distinctly transnational, intersectional identity – he is gay, Muslim, a third-generation immigrant from an Arab Turkish family and a German national. The poems detail casual discriminations at airport security checks and intimate encounters with men in urban cruising spots, like Berlin’s outdoor pool Prinzenbad. While the poems highlight the ubiquity of the nationalist imaginary, e.g. in personal relationships and language, they ultimately disrupt it by exploring alternative models of community and belonging in the speaker’s queer encounters.

Gendered Realities: Reforming Juvenile Justice in India

For the past few decades, the juvenile justice system in India has shifted from a rehabilitative to a retributive paradigm, leading researchers to become increasingly interested in the gendered implications of paradigm change that may exacerbate problems of young offenders, especially females. The current article explores the question of how social attitudes, institutional prejudices, and intersectional identities affect the ways in which female offenders are perceived and treated in India. The framework for the current study includes theoretical concepts of rehabilitation, retribution, and feminist theory. The use of secondary analysis and the description of policy changes and historical context studies are included in the research. Employing a data-driven analysis based on a combination of case studies, quantitative data, and inter-state comparison, the research reveals that female offenders face systemicinstitutional and individual problems, including re-victimization, trauma, and inadequate access to quality rehabilitation services. This article argues for genderresponsive and intersectional juvenile justice policies and redirects attention to rehabilitation available results for future policy and research initiatives

Medical-Legal Partnerships: a promising approach for addressing health-harming legal needs among people with HIV.

People with HIV (PWH), particularly those at the intersection of sexual and gender identities, face enduring obstacles to accessing HIV care, including structural stigma, structural racism and discrimination, housing instability, and limited access to health insurance. To address these challenges, Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLPs) in HIV care offer an innovative approach that integrates medical and legal services. By targeting health-harming legal needs (HHLN), MLPs aim to enhance the HIV care continuum outcomes for PWH. This study examines the benefits and challenges of MLPs within organizations serving PWH through the social-ecological model. MLP providers (n=111) identified organizational-level challenges such as funding limitations, resource integration issues, and staffing constraints. MLPs demonstrated numerous benefits, including patient impact and benefits, comprehensive service provision, enhanced staff support and capacity, and potential for policy influence. These results underscore the feasibility of MLPs while offering valuable insights into their efficacy and challenges, guiding the implementation of MLPs to address health-harming legal needs, including discrimination, and thereby improving HIV care outcomes.

An examination of the sexual health behaviors and cognitions of young U.S. community college students with respect to the intersection of gender and sexual identity

Objective: To assess the sexual health of young community college students so that health promotion priorities can be identified and tailored programming can be implemented for this understudied population. Participants: A national sample of 1,678 community college students. Methods: Survey data was analyzed to understand trends in sexual health – including differences by gender and sexual identity. Results: While 54% of the sample have had vaginal sex and 16% have had anal sex, rates of condom use for these behaviors are low (respectively 51% and 42%). Only 52% of students have communicated with a medical professional about sexual health and 42% have been tested for STIs. Young men have the lowest odds of communicating with a medical professional about sexual health. Heterosexual men have particularly low odds of getting tested for STIs. Conclusions: Community college students need additional resources – eg, education, accessible health care – to promote their sexual health.

Decolonising cultural policy: the cultural and linguistic rights of the Sámi in Finland

In this article, the writer considers the current state of the cultural and linguistic rights of the Sámi, how they are supported by cultural policy and how decolonising cultural policy could contribute to the ongoing struggles of realising the self-determination and cultural rights of the Sámi. The article stipulates that concrete steps need to be taken for decolonising cultural policy in Finland specifically concerning the cultural and human rights of the Sámi. Cultural policy should be based on cultural rights, thus introducing decolonial practices in support of the Sámi culture and languages and into the culture policy and funding is imperative. The article suggests creating decolonial practices of research and policymaking rooted in intersectional and participatory methods that recognise the many forms of discrimination, not only the current-day colonialism or the effects of assimilation but also the intersections of an indigenous identity with other forms of discrimination. Furthermore, contributing to decolonisation should include research on the effects of colonisation on cultural rights, cultural policy and the distribution of funds for promoting the Sámi culture and languages in the Sámi communities and Finland.