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Intersectionality, Intersectional Standpoints, and Identity Politics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2024

Zahra Meghani
Zahra Meghani*
Affiliation:
Philosophy Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA 02881
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This article differentiates between standpoints, intersectionality, intersectional standpoints, and identity politics. It argues that although there is no necessary connection between intersectionality and ethics, the intersectional standpoints of the oppressed do epistemic, ethical, and political work. To make this argument it uses a case study that takes the form of an analysis of mainstream arguments for denying public assistance to the working-class undocumented from an intersectional standpoint of that group. This paper also addresses two substantial criticisms of intersectional standpoints, including the charge that identity-politics-based intersectional standpoints foster victimhood politics and undermine class-based struggles.

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Article
Information
Hypatia , Volume 38 , Special Issue 4: Intersectional Epistemologies: The Ethics and Politics of Epistemic Practice , Fall 2023 , pp. 871 - 895
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Hypatia, a Nonprofit Corporation

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