(cross posted)  Communication tools to unravel and address intersectionality inequ... -

Individuals, groups and communities experience intersectional inequalities because of identity-based discrimination. These markers can be characteristics ascribed from birth – race, caste, religion, ethnicity, disability (some) and sex, or characteristics that are not from birth, like occupations, migration and gender identity. Intersectional inequalities emerge from social relations of power that result in different forms of oppression and exclusion (Oxfam, 2019). Participatory communication strategies, methods and tools can play an important role in identifying and understanding intersectional discrimination, as well as in promoting intersectional equality.

Drawing on Murthy (2016) and Children Believe (2023), I suggest that storytelling and happiness mapping can help identify how intersectional discrimination plays out. For example, the story of the thirsty fox and the crane (with both being given a saucer of water to drink from but only the fox being able to drink) can be told to help participants understand discrimination against the crane; the crane requires a beaker to drink. This story, when told in the context of post-Indian Ocean tsunami relief in Tamil Nadu (2005), conveyed that children of single widowers were at a disadvantage, as they did not want to collect rations standing in a queue where mainly women stood, more so if they were an alcoholic. This unusual intersection of gender, masculinity, class and alcoholism disadvantaged their children when compared to children of other parents from privileged groups (e.g., in government service).

Happiness mapping, when used to understand intersectional discrimination, involved drawing a happy, moderate, and sad face and asking them which picture they identify themselves with now and why. This method, when adopted in Moldova in the early 2000s with women who were members of a grape growers' cooperative, led to the revelation that some were "sad" in spite of a slight increase in income, as they did not know whether their daughters who had migrated for work in Western Europe were safe. There were rumors of trafficking of young women. Gender, age, migrant status and poverty were coming together, leading to intersectional discrimination.

The Children Believe (2023)'s Toolkit on Gender, Intersectionality and Social Inclusion points to ways forward to not only unravel but also to address such intersectional discrimination. Amongst other tools, it outlines the use of "Stand on the Status Line" to identify where people of different intersecting identities are on a given issue (say, education) and what measures are required to further intersectional equality in education. This method entails giving people different identity cards like Dalit, Adivasi/tribal, dominant caste, minority, person with disability, girl, boy, woman, man, single woman, transwoman, amongst others. Ask a person assigned one community (assigned male) to choose a spot between 1 and 10 (higher the better) in the objective of attaining secondary education (high school). The person must give reasons for their choice, and what support they would require to move towards the rank 10. Next, repeat the exercise with a person assigned girl (from the same community) or a transgender person. Complete the exercise till people of all identities choose a spot, of varying genders, disabilities, etc. If there are disagreements, they should be discussed and resolved collectively. The suggestions that emerge on how people particular intersecting identities can move towards a score of 10 need to be recorded. In this case, some of the suggestions that emerged were: access to school buses that are disability friendly; access to toilets for transgender pupils in school; access to toilets with water and menstrual hygiene materials in schools; rules that make it compulsory for children to sit, eat and play together irrespective of caste, class, gender and so on; scholarships for not just economically but also socially marginalized children ; presence of teachers reflecting diversity and so on. The findings from this exercise were not only taken back to the non-governmental organization (NGO) but also to federations of community organizations and school management committees. The same game can be played people with real identities if the community groups are mature and the organization has been working with them for a long time.

What then are the lessons for using communication tools/methods (storytelling, choosing a mood, and standing on a spot on a line) for analysis of intersectional discrimination and suggesting ways forward to promote intersectional equality? Hold discussions in a private space, as the topic is sensitive, make the methods open ended (not yes/no) so that there is room for unexpected and unique responses, and take suggestions to multiple stakeholders so that action is taken up. Ideally, the facilitating team should comprise of people with intersectional identities.

Image credit: iPleaders

[1] This article was edited by Kier Olsen DeVries of The Communication Initiative and by Nithin J. Peter, an artist, musician and copyeditor based in Chennai who is an alumnus of the renowned Madras Christian College.

References:

Children Believe. 2023. Catalysing Transformative Action: A Toolkit on Gender, Intersectionality and Social Inclusion.

Murthy, R.K., and Sagayam, J. 2006. A Study on Non-discrimination in the Tsunami Rehabilitation Program in India. Chennai: Save the Children.

Murthy, R.K. 2015. Toolkit on Gender-Sensitive Participatory Evaluation Methods. New Delhi.

Oxfam. 2019. Exploring Intersecting Inequalities: The multidimensional inequality framework - The Oxfam toolkit.

As with all the blogs posted on our website, the content above does not imply the endorsement of The CI or its Partners and is from the perspective of the writer alone. We do not check facts and strive to retain the writer's voice, as is detailed in our Editorial Policy.