Intersectionality in praxis: Using intersectionality as a heuristic tool for the project of demarginalization

In working to explain my own answers to Bilge's questions about what to discard, retain, or rework from intersectionality to help it serve as a counter-hegemonic tool, I examined my own current relationship with intersectionality. I am in fact often introducing the concept to people who are largely unfamiliar with the term, whether that be undergraduate students, game designers, or live-action role-players. Thus, I decided to focus on how to best use intersectionality as a heuristic tool, a short-hand that allows us to make best guesses when we don’t need to be completely exact. In this piece, I examine some of my favorite works of intersectional research, to illustrate how intersectionality can be a tool for counter-hegemonic praxis through the process of demarginalization. I then examine several instances of intersectionality being used outside of academia, focusing on Kishonna Gray's examination of intersectional counter-publics as a successful example of intersectional organizing for Black women in gaming. Next, I turn to two videos that engage with intersectionality in terms of organizing, one a video created by The Advocate, another an Instagram post by Smitten Kitten, an adult store engaged in mutual aid and organizing in Minneapolis. While intersectionality can be a useful heuristic tool, the politicization of intersectionality, as part of identity politics and neo-liberal calls for ‘diversity’, call for a more particular engagement with the demarginalizing potential of intersectionality, and I end with an examination of the possibilities and dangers of using intersectionality as a heuristic tool for activism.