Understanding intersectionality in Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking'
I can explain what intersectionality is and how it applies to Winsome Pinnock's ’Leave Taking’
Understanding intersectionality in Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking'
I can explain what intersectionality is and how it applies to Winsome Pinnock's ’Leave Taking’
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Enid’s experiences of oppression and marginalisation are somewhat based on Pinnock’s own mother’s experiences.
- Scene Two explores Del and Enid’s differing experiences of oppression and marginalisation.
- Intersectionality is a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw.
- It recognises that oppressions faced by different marginalised groups intersect and create specific experiences.
- The universal themes and characters in the play must be balanced by the specific experiences of Pinnock’s characters.
Keywords
Intersectionality - a term describing how certain social categories (for example ethnicity, class, gender) can combine together to create unique combinations of disadvantage or advantage
Marginalise - when society treats a person or group of people as if they are unimportant, isolating and disempowering them
Oppression - unjust treatment, often of a group of people
Universal - when audiences, regardless of time period or circumstance, can relate to the ideas or characters in a text
Common misconception
'Leave Taking' is either universal, or about specific experiences and characters.
Like with many texts, we must hold both the idea of Leave Taking's universal themes with the specific experiences of its characters.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' published by Nick Hern Books.
Content guidance
- Contains strong language
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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