Victoria L Bromley Feminisms Matter Summary

Feminisms Matter: Debates, Theories, Activism, is a book that analyzes gender studies and theories among the ages and relates it to towards the issues that occur in everyday life. Chapter four of the text is seen to draw heavily on the issue of intersectionality and how it creates binary categories that defy the complexities of human beings . Society integrates many identities that work to categorize people into certain groups. These certain groups is what dictate the actions and view of the people within. However, this outdated use of segregating people is the main problem in terms of in terms of intersectionality as it is a form of discrimination . Victoria L. Bromley, the author of Feminism Matter, discusses the use of intersectionality

as a use of power. The power is used to oppress people into the groups ensures the dominant group to continue to hold the power. It is evident that intersectionality is formed by the dominant group to maintain power by creating binary identities, controlling social norms, and giving themselves the advantage.
The creation of binary identities is used to segregate people into one or two categories . This coincides with intersectionality because it further enforces the idea that people should be socially categorized, thus, allowing for discrimination to exist. This idea is able to exist by the creation of the dominant group. The dominant group is the holder of the power to control how society is categorized . This in itself cannot work because people are more complex to be simply entrenched by one or two groups. Everyone lives differently and acts according to their subjective experience. To limit a person into only one or two categories means limiting the humanity that creates the human race, therefore creating bias. People have multiple identities that cannot be controlled and limited. Thus, proving people that people have multiple identities that is confined by the intersectionality created by the dominant group.
Evidentially, the dominant group is the ones that holds most, if not all, the power in a community.

Its ability to hold all the power is what allows the dominant group to use systems of inclusion and exclusion when controlling a society. This includes how a person is categorized in order to maintain the status quo . This is key in understanding intersectionality because the dominant group created it. They are the majority, therefore, have a larger impact when influencing the social norms. Bromley comments on this by stating the power and surveillance are used to control actions in order to maintain communities . This is true and can be seen in instances of colonialism. Bromley puts in an example of colonialism and defines it as followed: “by which people, empire, nation, or state conquer, acquired, and control another people, their lands, culture, and wealth” . Examples of such includes the colonialization of Canada. The Natives living in Canada are seen to be discriminated by the Europeans in every way and are forced to coincide by their terms. The Natives are forced to be abolished from their lands and how they should be lived. This is a good example of the dominant group controlling and entire civilization and inflicting their own ideals to the society. Thus, the dominant inflicts intersectionality in order to assume power over

groups.
By having the power themselves, allows the dominant group to obtain certain advantages over people. These advantages are referred to as a privilege and work as an unspoken asset based on identity . The idea that one race or gender is more preferred over another is an act of socially oppression only works as a concept to further enhance intersectionality. Bromley proves this by looking at normalcy of these identifiers. The unspoken advantages of these identities have become a normal way of thinking, thus, becoming an unquestioned thought in how communities are constructed . This is a problem because it ensures that discrimination exists with or without one’s knowledge.
It is important for feminists, or people in particular, to be able to notice and critique the existence of these privileges. By exposing it, one can critique its existence, and dictate if it is a significant part of society . Questioning it allows for individuals to understand the stories and jokes that have racist, sexist, or negative comments intertwined in it . One must be able to raise their consciousness and become more aware of the complicated positions around the world. This is central in various feminisms and helps individuals understand the positions of people’s lives .
Therefore, it is evident intersectionality is formed by the dominant group to create binary identities, control the social norms, and give themselves the advantage of everyday life in order to maintain the power they hold. By having these binary identities, the dominant group is able to segregate people into different groups and apply the appropriate behaviours that apply to them. They create and control these social norms in order to maintain the power that they have within the status quo. Lastly, the privileges that the dominant groups holds allows for them to be above the other groups, therefore, keeping that power that they created. It is important to be able to identity these factors that are seen in society because it gives a broader view into how the world functions.