The ideology of intersectionality: Historical materialist observations

Abstract

In this article, I argue that intersectionality, in addition to being a widely used social science analytical framework, fulfills important ideological functions in the context of capitalist social formations. It reinforces the turn toward identity politics and theorizing, thus strengthening the use of identity categories of analysis as proxies for class and, consequently, the racial, gender, ethnic, and other divisions that weaken the working class and undermine the possibility of the emergence of working class solidarity.