ABSTRACT
Intersectionality refers to the interactions among various categories of social difference and identity (such as social race, class, and gender) and forms of systemic oppression (such as racism, classism, and sexism). Studies of intersectionality often focus on power relations and social inequalities, and the outcomes of these interactions in terms of physical and mental health and well-being. Much of the research that bioarcheologists do inherently addresses intersectionality, but few bioarchaeologists explicitly employ an intersectionality framework. This chapter provides an overview of intersectionality, including a history of its conceptualization by Black feminists and critical race theorists and examples of how it is applied in fields such as epidemiology, public health, psychology, and sociology. This chapter further explores how intersectionality has been and can potentially be applied by bioarchaeologists, suggests possible reasons why it has not yet gained widespread use in the field, and issues a call for further bioarchaeological use of intersectionality to enrich our understanding of the lives of people in the past and enhance our abilities to do research that can benefit people today.
