From Theory to Practice : A Literature Review on the Use of Intersectionality to Cast Light on Educational Inequalities

Despite increasing acknowledgement in social sciences, intersectionality - originally theorized within Black feminist thought and movements - remains either neglected or oversimplified in educational research (Jones et al., 2013; Sibbett, 2020). Its theoretical complexity is often overlooked, resulting in superficial applications that fail to fully capture the intricate intersections of social categories and power structures. This limits its potential to reveal the deeper mechanisms driving systemic inequalities in education (Sibbett, 2020). As both a theoretical and methodological framework, intersectionality offers a valuable lens for analyzing how different social categorizations such as gender assignment, racialization and classism intersect to influence students' educational trajectories.

Applying intersectionality to research methodologies presents significant challenges (Choo & Ferree, 2010; Davis, 2008; Nuñez, 2014). One significant challenge lies in recognizing the fluidity and interdependence of social categories (McCall, 2005). Additionally, focusing narrowly on specific marginalized groups without considering the larger systemic structures risks overlooking the institutional and political roots of these inequalities (Anthias, 2013). Moreover, as intersectionality gains popularity across disciplines, concerns arise about the dilution of its critical roots in Black feminist thought (Robert et Yu, 2018). This shift threatens to reduce its transformative potential to tokenistic mentions of intersecting social categories, rather than employing it as a tool for challenging structural inequalities (Harris et Patton, 2018; Haynes et al., 2020).

In regard to these challenges, this paper presents a systematic review of qualitative research that applies intersectionality to the study of educational inequalities. It highlights the value of intersectionality as a heuristic tool, rooted in feminist scholarship, that has the potential to enhance our understanding of educational disparities and to drive social change (praxis) (Cho et al., 2013). Furthermore, the paper tackles the methodological difficulties of implementing intersectionality in qualitative research and suggests future pathways to better capture the complexities of educational inequalities.