Concepts of Intersectionality: Contemporary Theorizing Workshop
Anglin P. Thevaraja & Bekki Davis
Montclair State University, 2024
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The following workshop is to understand the concept of Contemporary Theorizing within a group setting.
Learning Outcomes of the Workshop:
Participants will be able to define Contemporary Theorizing.
Participants will engage in critical analysis of contemporary theorizing in different settings.
Participants will apply and analyze Transformative Applications to case studies.
Participants will evaluate how Transformative Applications address systemic issues.
(Optional) Opening Warm-Up Reflection:
What comes to mind when you think of Contemporary Theorizing?
Particular words or phrases?
Theories?
Feelings?
Take 1-2 minutes and jot down a few thoughts on the following questions.
Go around the room and everyone share briefly.
What is Contemporary Theorizing?
In different fields such as sociology, psychology, political science, and literature contemporary theorizing involves examining and reevaluating existing theories or proposing entirely new ones to address emerging issues or changes in society, technology, culture, and other relevant factors.
Contemporary theorizing can also involve interdisciplinary approaches, recognizing that complex issues often require insights from multiple disciplines.
It takes into account the dynamic nature of the world and aims to provide relevant
and insightful frameworks for interpreting and making sense of contemporary challenges and developments.
Foundational theories and critical theory updates are frequently treated as being in conflict and there is an expectation to treat foundational theories as irrelevant as new (critical) theories are developed.
“In the process of critiquing older theories, we are also building on them - standing on their shoulders.” (Allen & Henderson, 2021)
Activity
Consider the following questions as you read the case studies in groups:
Is the case study an accurate representation of the transformative application as it means to you? Why or why not?
Each case study provides a “solution” to an issue. Are these “solutions” the most effective for the particular scenario?
Can another transformative application be more effective for this case study? If so, which one(s)? What could that look like?
How do the decisions in the case study address systemic issues as it relates to intersectionality?
More Reflections on Contemporary Theorizing: Using Literature
Letter from Birmingham (King Jr., 1963)
Martin Luther King Jr. differentiates between just and unjust laws, citing St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to support his argument.
How does King define just and unjust laws, and what criteria does he suggest for evaluating the justice of a law?
What are the implications of this distinction for civil disobedience and the moral responsibility of individuals in the face of laws they perceive as unjust?
Martin Luther King Jr. defines just laws as those that align with the moral law or the law of God.
A just law is one that uplifts human personality. Conversely, an unjust law is degrades human personality.
King suggests evaluating the justice of a law based on whether it applies equally to everyone and whether it uplifts or degrades human dignity.
Individuals have a moral responsibility to obey just laws but also a moral duty to disobey unjust laws that degrade human dignity. This distinction underscores the legitimacy of civil disobedience in the struggle for civil rights, asserting that it's not only the right but the duty of individuals to oppose injustice.
Curriculum Theorizing (Deng, 2018)
Deng employs Schwab’s medical framework (symptoms, diagnosis, and prescription) to analyze and diagnose the crisis in contemporary curriculum theorizing.
How does this framework facilitate a deeper understanding of the issues around curriculum theorizing, and do you find Deng's diagnosis and proposed solutions convincing?
There is a recognition that curriculum needs to be reviewed and updated periodically, but by who, and how is it critically reviewed?
Critically assess the validity and effectiveness of using such a framework for analyzing academic fields.
Using Schwab’s medical framework for analyzing the crisis in contemporary curriculum theorizing offers a structured approach to identify and address the field's shortcomings. This framework's strength lies in its ability to systematically dissect the problems (symptoms), understand their underlying causes (diagnosis), and propose solutions (prescription).
Deng's diagnosis—that the field has moved away from its practical roots and has become overly entangled in complex theories with limited direct application to schooling—is convincing in highlighting the disconnect between theory and practice.
However, consider if this framework truly captures the complexity of education today, the NEED for diverse theoretical perspectives, and its effects.
Applications & Reflections of this Work
What are practical steps you can take as scholars/practitioners to support your own development and growth with contemporary theorizing?
Examples of Practical Steps:
Reflective journaling (Jones et al., pg. 326)
Reflect topics/issues from interdisciplinary lens
What ideas and conclusions would different fields draw on your topic?
What happens when you critically analyze your topic/issue from different theoretical lenses. (eg. Black Feminist Lens, Crip Theory, PVEST, etc.)
Consider how you will make your research and critical ideas available to others?
Journals, Workshops, Lectures, Mentorship?
Reflect on where you see yourself on the Scholar/Activist “continuum”.
How has that changed over time? Why?
Consider on how your theoretical grounding can contribute to interventions, social movements, and policy changes.
How will you take leadership from those most impacted (Battle & Serrano, 2022)
Revisit, refine, revise thoughts and writing regularly.
Consider the: What? So what? Now what? (Borton, 1970)
“Transformational praxes enjoin theoretical innovations, a repertoire of methodologies, and infuse multiple voices, communities, and social realities to inquire about and understand how structured inequality impacts families and their members, and to identify targets for or to inform action (in multiple ways) toward social transformations that support and sustain social justice.” (Hunter et al., 2022, p. 392)
References
Allen, K. R. & Henderson, A. (2022). Family theorizing for social justice: A critical praxis. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 14(3), 364-383.. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12450
Battle, B.P., & Serrano, U. (2022). Toward a Du Boisian paradigm of family science. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 14 (3), 341-363.. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12457
Borton, T. (1970) Reach, Touch and Teach. London:Hutchinson.
Deng, Z. (2018). Contemporary curriculum theorizing: Crisis and resolution. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 50(6), 691–710. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2018.1537376
Hunter, A. G., Tarver, S.Z., Jones, J. (2022). Transformational family science: Praxis, possibility, and promise. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 14(3), 384-403. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12476
Jones, J. Hunter, A.G., & Tarver, S.Z. (2022). Dismantling the master's house: Epistemological tensions and revelatory interventions for reimagining a transformation family science]. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 14(3), 318-340. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12473
King, M. L. (1963). Letter from Birmingham Jail.
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