A core component of critical race theory, the term intersectionality was coined by American lawyer and academic Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1991 to describe the “multidimensionality” of the Black woman’s experience.
It describes how an individual’s different identities – such as gender identity, race, class, etc – intersect and overlap to create compound, interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. For example, a white woman may experience misogyny and a Black man may experience racism, but a Black woman will experience both misogyny and racism. All three experience discrimination – and, consequently, disadvantaged – but in different forms and to varying degrees.
This special issue of Dandelion Journal asks what role intersectional identities have in the arts (e.g. film, television, journalism, poetry, fine art, photography, literature, etc.), and how they impact on the production, sale and distribution of art/media objects around the world.
- What impact do intersectional identities have on – and within – the arts, if any?
- What can we learn from studying lived experiences in the arts through an intersectional lens?
- How can we approach, understand and/or evaluate decision-making processes in the arts from an intersectional perspective?
We invite postgraduate research students to consider and respond to these questions within their specific disciplines and research foci, and to look forward towards a decolonised future within the arts.
Potential topics for exploration include, but are not limited to:
- The decolonised newsroom.
- Intersectional migration narratives.
- Locating Black women in the history of art.
- Intersectionality in fiction – contemporary and historical.
- Decolonising galleries and museums.
- Intersectionality in contemporary and historical fiction.
- Language, identity and resistance.
- Intersectional poetry.
- Film and television – intersectionality on camera and behind the scenes.
- The intersectional writer’s room (television).
Articles should be 2000 to 2500 words long. We would also be interested in publishing short works of speculative fiction between 1000 and 3000 words on the theme of intersectionality in the arts. You may also submit works of poetry or visual art pieces, accompanied by a critical reflection on your work of no more than 1500 words. We are happy to take any questions and discuss ideas with interested authors prior to the submission deadline.
Please send completed submissions to nsmith22@student.bbk.ac.uk before 1st June 2022, including a 50-word author biography and a 200-300 word abstract. All referencing and style is required in MHRA format as a condition of publication, and submitted articles should be academically rigorous and ready for immediate publication. Complete instructions for submission can be found at www.dandelionjournal.org.
