Intersectionality
QUESTION OF THE SEMESTER:
“How and why does narrative and literary writing help women define, trouble, or question gender intersectionally?”
Puerto Rican authors like Esmeralda Santiago use their literary works and voices to show how women of minorities face discrimination on a different and much deeper level.
Esmeralda Santiago shares stories, both fiction and non-fiction that stray away from "the single story". This allows readers to understand cultural differences and the societal struggles that impact immigrants, especially during their transition into American culture.
Narrative and literary writing like Women's Literature help to express the intersection of oppression based off societal identities, proving that oppressions are not isolated. This ideal leads to the understanding of intersectionality, which is the opposite of isolated oppression but rather looks at how societal factors like religion, race and class impact one's identity and way of life.
Women's Literature, including Santiago, help to prove that gender is not a sole factor. There are a myriad of societal influences that impact one's life and sense of self. Women who identify with more than one outnumbered group, relating to socio-economic status, religion, sexuality and more face different and more extreme forms of discrimination. This allows narrative and literary writing to help define, trouble and question intersectionality and more specifically gender in relation to intersectionality.