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If you haven't read Gender Trouble (1990) not sure this makes sense but heck there is a lot of cute cats.

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Following hot on the heels of Foucault Explained with Hipsters, here's JB's Gender Trouble explained in Socratic dialogue style. With cats.

All page references from Butler, J. (1990 [2008: 1999]). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York; London: Routledge.

Got any more ideas for philosophy/sociology/gender theory you'd like to see explained in comic form? Let me know in the comments below.

This entry was posted in Academia, Feminism, Gender, Theory and tagged cats, comic, Judith Butler, performativity, Socratic dialogue by binarythis. Bookmark the permalink.

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Following hot on the heels of Foucault Explained with Hipsters, here's JB's Gender Trouble explained in Socratic dialogue style. With cats. All page references from Butler, J. (1990 [2008: 1999]). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York; London: Routledge. Got any more ideas for philosophy/sociology/gender theory you'd like to see explained in...

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Why your Feminism has to be Intersectional.

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Why your Feminism has to be Intersectional.

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From Catalogue magazine

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Image: Photographed by Ashley Armitage

"My feminism will be intersectional, or it will be bullshit" - Flavia Dzodan

It can be quite a frustrating experience when you hear a friend say 'I don't need feminism.' When anyone dismisses the role of feminism in 2016, and along with it, the vast and diversified experiences of womanhood, it is both wrong and misinformed, and yet, commonly pervasive.

Earlier in 2015, Australian born writer Germaine Greer proclaimed a divisive distinction between "real women" and "trans women," suggesting a male to female gender reassignment process would somehow disqualify celebrity star Caitlyn Jenner's (and all transgender women for that matter) access to the exclusivity of the female experience. Greer says in an interview: "If you didn't find your pants full of blood when you were 13 there's something important about being a woman you don't know."

If Greer's comments sound divisive, and unfairly weighted toward a very specific kind of female experience (cisgender and reproductively ripe), it's because they are. To suggest that a lack of menstruation invalidates a person's right to freely express their gender, is incredibly limiting and counterintuitive to equality.

Yet, these limiting ideas of what it means to be a woman get perpetuated all the time. Outside of feminism, and also within it. Often without even recognising it, the mainstream feminist movement has made a bad habit of limiting its breadth to a very slight demographic of women, leaving a large collection of female minority groups, all too often sidelined.

Surely, there must be an antidote to this problem. How can our feminism prevail more empathetically, more inclusively and more diversely?

Enter: Intersectionality.

Okay, I'm going to get deep here, but I need you to follow because this stuff is important -

In 1989, American law scholar and critical race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term 'intersectionality' to describe how biological, social and cultural categories interact and intersect to shape the many dimensions of inequality.

At its core, intersectionality is the idea that inequality does not function in a vacuum. It does not affect people in the same ways, or to the same degrees. So please, let's stop packing all women's issues into the same established analytical structure. Not all women squeeze into the mould of the 'mainstream'. Crenshaw developed the term as a framework to be used in not only feminism, but all social justice work - to consider that people experience forms of oppression in relation to not only their gender, but their race, age, ability, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, and other axes of identity.

These axes interact, and intersect to shape very, very individual experiences. Our backgrounds, our identities and the issues affecting us, are just as diverse as the kinds of women there are.

For example, let's contextually investigate what an intersectional approach reveals about the state of violence against women in Australia -

Consider the varied and unique experiences of Aboriginal women compared to that of non-Aboriginal women. Aboriginal women are 34 times more likely to suffer domestic violence, and are almost 11 times more likely to die at the hands of their partners. This is just one example of how gender discrimination is intersecting with other such systems as racial discrimination and a long history of subjugation.

Acknowledging and recognising how these different systems intersect with each other allows us to better understand the varied lived experiences of different groups of women.

The whole point of intersectionality is not to reaffirm some inequalities while discrediting the reality of others. It shouldn't incite some kind of hate-fuelled act of segregation where women compete rather than cooperate. All women are vulnerable to oppressive forces, but the truth is, are vulnerable than others.

Some particular privileges, often shroud from us from seeing the disproportion of inequality in action. For example, I am a white, cisgender, non-disabled woman in a society that majoritively caters to the non-disabled experience, and often viciously reinforces and polices heteronormativity. It would be incredibly unproductive to assume that I am susceptible to the same forms of oppression as a transgender woman, or a disabled woman of colour.

Intersectionality brings our attention to the complexity of inequality that sadly so often, falls beneath the radar of the mainstream. And in light of it, we are faced with the sheer magnitude of work that still needs to be done.

And yes, this realisation is super overwhelming at times, but being aware of it is absolutely necessary. What chance do we have at fixing the world if we don't fully understand, with clarity and inclusion, what actually needs fixing? The most effective means we have at abolishing the systemic discrimination that all women experience, is by making sure that intersectionality is fundamental to our feminism.

Here are some tools you can use to adopt the intersectional approach in your life:

1) Recognise your privilege.

Stop, self-reflect and listen. A lot. Acknowledge your privilege and understand that your lived experiences are different to the experiences of others. Shift your perspective from your circumstances to others, our own privileges allow us to take for granted why we need intersectional feminism. White people don't easily notice racism, in the same way cisgender people don't easily notice transphobia.

2) Educate yourself.

Feminism is challenging as hell, it shouldn't be comfortable. If you're feeling content and comfortable you're not doing enough research and self-education. Be open to being pushed and tested. Never stop researching and learning. To not do so is privileged laziness. Remaining ignorant is easy, learning involves hard work.

3) Be accountable.

Always be willing to make mistakes and learn from them. Applying an intersectional foundation is not easy and requires lots of learning, trying, and inevitably making mistakes. I have made many, and continue to do so, but I'm yet to come across a more effective strategy for learning. Intersectionality requires empathising with people who are different from you, which can be difficult. But better to actively try, and make mistakes, than to dismiss the framework altogether. When people don't make an effort to be intersectional, they're quick to dismiss other people's lived experiences in favour of their own beliefs and become easily defensive when critiqued. So when you inevitably mess up, how you respond matters. Rather than taking criticism personally, listen and reflect. Having your privilege pointed out to you is confronting, but necessary for growth. Be thankful to those who are helping you to learn, and in turn, do your best to help others.

This article originally appeared in the amazing Accidental Discharge zine! Check them out!

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1) Why Celebrating Sexually Empowered Women is Important 2) Female Viagra is Here, But it's Actually a Turn-Off 3) How to Learn to Love Your Period
Have news tips? Send them through to us at info@cataloguemagazine.com.au

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Why Your Feminism Has to be Intersectional

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Image: Photographed by Ashley Armitage "My feminism will be intersectional, or it will be bullshit" - Flavia Dzodan It can be quite a frustrating experience when you hear a friend say 'I don't need feminism.' When anyone dismisses the role of feminism in 2016, and along with it, the vast and diversified experiences of womanhood, it is both wrong and misinformed, and yet, commonly pervasive.

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A good summary of Feminist Gender Theory, Pre-Queer Theory (up to about 1980s ish)

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Catalogue Magazine: articles on Feminism

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Catalogue Magazine: articles on Feminism

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A well penned collection of contemporary discussions and issues in feminist discourse