Intersectionality. A sociological framework that studies how people’s social and political identities can lead to unique combinations of privilege and discrimination. It’s also known as intersectional theory.
The term was coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and critical race theory scholar.
The term describes how overlapping systems of oppression—such as racism, sexism, and classism—shape the lives of Black women and other marginalized groups.