INTERSECTIONALITY IN KNOWLEDGE TRADITIONS: GENDER, CASTE AND POWER NARRATIVES

Abstract

Intersectionality refers to a way of understanding how multiple and interconnected forms of inequality exist as a whole, rather than being separate entities. The idea originated from Black feminist thought (Collins, 1990) in which scholars highlighted that race, gender and class overlap in everyday life. Intersectionality transformed over time into an even more expansive instrument for understanding how power works in various social contexts and identifications. Knowledge traditions refer to how knowledge is generated, transmitted and passed on in a society or community. They develop within social and historical contexts, and can adapt themselves in various forms, including religious and philosophical works, educational systems and scholarly disciplines, literature, art, and forms of cultural expression. Through an intersectional lens, knowledge traditions can be seen as fields of inequality where dominant worldviews frequently ignore or elide the knowledge and experiences of marginalized groups. This chapter aims to explore how gender, caste, and power influence the production and communication of knowledge, and how intersectionality helps unfold patterns of inclusion and exclusion.