Intersectionality & Social Justice: Navigating Culture Wars
- In early 2025, students in an Intersectionality and Social Justice module at the University of St.
- The students aimed to resist regressive tendencies by reflecting on intersectional oppressions and imagining care-based responses.
- The diaries became a space to explore contentious political issues, from classroom dynamics to environmental justice and the struggles of marginalized communities.
Students at the University of St. Andrews are fighting anti-intellectualism with “intersectional care Diaries,” a powerful initiative born from their Social Justice module. These diaries are a direct response to dismantling of DEI programs and growing regressive tendencies. They address intersectional oppressions and promote social justice in multiple settings. By grappling with classroom dynamics, environmental justice, marginalization, and more, the students are challenging scattered hegemonies. The project’s success,described by News Directory 3,stems from weaving individual experiences into collective thought and interconnected ideas. read how the students plan to continue using this tool to fight oppression,injustice,and disadvantage—discover what’s next for this impactful project.
Intersectional Care Diaries Resist Anti-Intellectualism
In early 2025, students in an Intersectionality and Social Justice module at the University of St. Andrews responded to what they saw as growing anti-intellectualism by creating “intersectional Care Diaries.” The initiative followed the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
The students aimed to resist regressive tendencies by reflecting on intersectional oppressions and imagining care-based responses. These voluntary diaries applied the module’s themes to real-world scenarios, addressing power dynamics in various settings.
The diaries became a space to explore contentious political issues, from classroom dynamics to environmental justice and the struggles of marginalized communities. The students shared individual reflections and contemplated how care could be integrated into their responses.
The Intersectional Care Diaries sought to challenge what Inderpal Grewal and Caren Kaplan call “scattered hegemonies,” where power is decentralized and embedded in everyday life. The students explored power dynamics across spaces, scales, and levels, engaging with contentious political issues from intimate and institutional settings to broader questions of environmental justice, structural priviledge, legal reform, and the lived struggles of self and marginalized communities.
What’s next
The students plan to continue using the diaries as a tool for collective thought and interconnected ideas, exploring systems of oppression, injustice, and disadvantage. They hope to weave their reflections together to capture the power of collective thought and promote social justice.