Intersectionality – A challenge for development research and practice?

Abstract

“Intersectionality” as a concept is increasingly finding its way into development work. In order to develop an understanding of the concept, this article shows how intersectionality can be used as a conceptual framework to analyse identity-based development claims. The article builds on qualitative research with people living in the countryside in northwest Pakistan to develop an intersectional methodology to engage with development claims. It uses a three-step analytical model to identify subject positions from which different people negotiate “eligibility for development'' and ‘‘responsibility to develop”. The paper shows how frequently used categorisations such as gender and class should be complicated by development practitioners and worked with in a more nuanced way.

L'« intersectionnalité » en tant que concept figure de plus en plus dans le travail de développement. Afin de développer une manière de comprendre le concept, cet article illustre comment l'intersectionnalité peut être utilisée comme cadre conceptuel pour analyser les affirmations de développement basées sur l'identité. Cet article prend pour point de départ les recherches qualitatives menées avec des personnes vivant dans les campagnes du nord-ouest du Pakistan afin de mettre au point une méthodologie intersectionnelle pour traiter de ces affirmations de développement. Il a recours à un modèle analytique en trois étapes pour identifier les positions de sujet à partir desquelles différentes personnes négocient l'« éligibilité pour le développement » et la « responsabilité de se développer ». Cet article montre comment les catégorisations fréquemment utilisées comme le genre et la classe devraient être compliquées par des praticiens du développement et être traitées de manière plus nuancée.

A nivel del trabajo de desarrollo se incorpora cada vez más el concepto de “interseccionalidad”. Con el fin de fomentar la comprensión de dicho concepto, el presente artículo examina cómo la interseccionalidad puede ser utilizada como marco conceptual para analizar las afirmaciones basadas en la identidad realizadas en torno al desarrollo. Con el propósito de contribuir a crear una metodología interseccional que permita valorar tales afirmaciones, el artículo se apoya en investigaciones cualitativas realizadas con campesinos del noroeste de Pakistán. Al respecto, utiliza un modelo analítico que incluye tres etapas y que posibilita identificar posiciones del sujeto a partir de las cuales las personas procesan la noción de “idoneidad de desarrollo” y de “responsabilidad para desarrollar”. El artículo revela que las personas implicadas en el desarrollo deberán complejizar las categorías de género y clase, frecuentemente utilizadas, empleándolas de manera más matizada.

Keywords:

• Methods
• Labour and livelihoods – Poverty reduction
• Gender and diversity
• Aid – Development policies
• Civil society
• South Asia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Julia Grünenfelder obtained her PhD from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She currently works as a scientific collaborator at the Equal Opportunities Office of the University of Lucerne, Switzerland.

Carolin Schurr obtained her PhD from the University of Bern, Switzerland. She currently works as a Society in Science – Branco Weiss Fellow at the Department of Geography of the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Notes

1. Ludwig Wittgenstein's concept of “language games” and John Austin's concept of “speech acts” (Potter 2001) contributed much to the understanding of language (and later, discourse) as something performative. See also Moncrieffe and Eyben (2007).

2. The name of the village is a pseudonym.

3. “District” is the label for an administrative unit below the Province. It is the highest of the three local government structures in Pakistan. Below the District, there are the Tehsils and the Union Councils (UC). In Pakistan, a village/mouza is a revenue estate and may encompass one or more settlements/gaoons within its territory. Amda Bela, the village described in the text, is the size of a gaoon.

4. Literacy for that survey was defined as the ability to read a newspaper and write a simple letter.

5. For background on this issue, see www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/, Part XII, Chapter 3, accessed 10 February 2011.

6. The names of all NGOs are pseudonyms.