We invite chapter proposals for an edited collection on intersectionality beyond Eurocentrism.
Intersectional thought has contributed globally to academic praxis that seeks to dismantle different social hierarchies as well as make visible and improve the position of marginalized groups. The concept of intersectionality has traveled far from its geographical origins and is currently employed in various disciplines of the humanities and social sciences across the globe. The widespread use of the concept raises questions about its applicability in different contexts outside of the Global North and calls for evaluations of possible power relations manifested in its usage.
Our edited collection asks how intersectionality has been adopted globally as a research concept, a theoretical approach, and a starting point for social transformations. To which geographical locations and research environments has intersectionality traveled? What does intersectional research look like from the perspective of the Global South? How does a decolonial approach to intersectionality allow us to critically evaluate the concept’s applicability and possible limitations, regardless of the geographical context of the research?
The edited collection aims to provide its readers with tools for understanding how the concept of intersectionality is articulated in various geographical, cultural, linguistic, and national contexts. Through a critical examination of the concept and its usage, our objective is to promote intersectionality in research, teaching, and activist practices around the globe. To this end, we seek proposals that explore intersectionality beyond Eurocentrism through the following questions:
- How has intersectionality been adopted and institutionalized as a research concept/practice at universities in your geographical context, and in which disciplines?
- What does the academic environment of your geographical context look like when viewed from an intersectional perspective of hierarchies and power relations attached to different social positionings?
- What are the challenges, resistance, and criticisms regarding the application of intersectionality? If the concept has not been accepted or embraced, what are the reasons behind this rejection?
- Which marginalized groups have been studied using the concept – and which groups have been neglected?
- Which social positioning categories (such as race, class, gender, sexuality, dis/ability) are highlighted, neglected, or added (such as caste, Indigeneity, age) to intersectional analysis?
- How are the political dimensions of intersectionality understood and put into practice? How does the concept’s origin in both Black feminist scholarship and Black Marxist and socialist thought (e.g. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Combahee River Collective, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde) show or remain invisible in research within your discipline, academic environment, and geographical context?
We welcome contributions from scholars of all career stages in the humanities and social sciences. Publication decisions will be made based on the academic and theoretical rigor of the abstracts and a consideration of the scholar’s own positioning with regards to their research material. We encourage submissions from scholars who work in the Global South and/or who come from under-represented and marginalized communities.
Because of the book project’s political engagement with intersectional thought, we are committed to maintaining an intersectional approach in the editorial process. In addition to the two editors, categorized as white Northern Europeans, the review and editorial process will involve scholars with situated knowledges from various social positionings and with ties to the Global South. Additionally, we are committed to publishing in open access format to make the edited collection available for everyone regardless of institutional access.
Proposals should be submitted to the volume editors, Iida Pöllänen (iap33@cornell.edu) and Anna Rastas (anna.rastas@tuni.fi) by August 5, 2024. Please include the following:
- Abstract (max 500 words)
- Author bio (max 250 words)
Selected submissions will be notified by the end of August, 2024. Finished chapter manuscripts will be due by the end of February 2025, after which they will be sent out for peer-review.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further questions.
Dr. Iida Pöllänen https://iidapollanen.com/
Dr. Anna Rastas https://www.annarastas.com/
Co-Directors of the Intersectionality in Research Network, https://research.tuni.fi/inrenet/