An intersectional lens to look at a turbulent world and bring change

In 1989, American legal race scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality to refer to the double discrimination of racism and sexism faced by Black women.

- Ambika Vishwanath

While double or multiple forms of discrimination against women was, and is, not new, she gave it a word; one that has, in 2024, found its ways into everyone's lexicon. Its application has become widespread and it has become near impossible to speak of any forms of policy, especially on critical aspects of human or environmental security, without stressing the need for an intersectional approach. And rightly so.

The goal, for those who understand and use this terminology smartly, is to address the system and course correct on that - fix the system as it were, so that our collective futures are more secure. But when systems, both global and domestic, continue to operate within outdated methodologies and approaches, the concepts and application of intersectionality need to be widened, and brought into the global order debates, for change to truly happen.

The global rules-based order and traditional institutions and leaders are now proving ineffective - to deal with conflicts that are emerging from long-standing unresolved issues, from Congo to Gaza, or challenges that are arising out of climate change, and emerging security risks.