Table of Contents
it is a description. Mahasweta Devi and Gloria Those specific contexts within intersectionality are Anzaldúa use languages in their writing that carry clashed within the heterogeneous style of writing situated meaning; they break the rules, create in Devi and Anzaldúa’s works, providing a more new rules, and ascribe new semantic meaning to authentic experience of what intersectionality affect, inspire, and recreate embodies. discourse. Discursive ...interesectionality formation is understood as For a deeper understanding the regularities that produce - while intended to of the kinds of analyses that discourse (Spivak xi). Devi influence this paper and expose and diffuse and Anzaldúa shake up the enhance theory surrounding hierarchies - can still regularities. discourse, it is important to cover some literature on this privilege those with I am interested in exploring topic. One such method of power and thus maintain analysis is Critical Discourse the intentionality behind the mixture of languages in (CDA). One of the a hegemonic discourse. Analysis the writings of Mahasweta founders of CDA, Norman Devi and Gloria AnzaldúaFairclough, has described it each seeking to confront power structures within as aiming: prevailing, reality-producing discourses- by asking what their use of language describes, and what it To systemically explore often opaque relationships produces. A feminist perspective examines the of causality and determination between (a) power structures within societies that produce discursive practices, events and texts, and (b) privilege and oppression, and feminist discourse wider social and cultural structures, relations seeks to dismantle the power structures that and processes; to investigate how such practices, continually privilege and oppress by employing events and texts arise out of and are ideologically reflexive methodology and implementing shaped by relations of power and struggles over intersectionality. Intersectionality states that power. (Locke 1) there are numerous categories of social identity operating within various and varying levels of CDA “views the systemic analysis and privilege and oppression, depending on the sociointerpretation of texts as potentially revelatory of historical-political context of each individual. It ways in which discourses consolidate power and explains that no one category can be analyzed colonize human subjects through often covert in a vacuum, i.e. gender is affected by race is position calls” (Lock 2). Because language is a affected by class is affected by sexuality is affected part of everyday existence, the power constructed by location. This concept is not only exercised by within may be quite insidious. Critical Discourse Devi and Anzaldúa in their writing, it is further Analysis focuses specifically on: expanded upon. Structural relationships of dominance, discrimination, power and control as manifested Intersectionality by definition is holistic in the in language…CDA aims to investigate critically understanding of acting oppressions, and yet social inequality as it is expressed, signaled, because of this is not often critically examined constituted, legitimized etc. by language use (or in for its potentially damaging effects on discursive discourse). (Wodak 1) formation. It is important for its inclusion of race, class, gender, sexuality in situating an individual, CDA asks: How is power linguistically expressed? but it cannot be excluded from the critical analysis How are consensus, acceptance and legitimacy of language- for the very terms on which it relies are of dominance manufactured? Who has access also produced within a specific context. With this to instruments of power and control? Who said, intersectionality- while intended to expose is discriminated against in what way? Who and diffuse hierarchies- can still privilege those with understands a certain discourse in what way with power and thus maintain a hegemonic discourse. what results? (Blommaert, Bulcaen 449). Critical