Understanding Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality: A Conceptual Framework

This is the first text in the rapidly growing study of the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality in the United States today. Using clear and accessible language, analysis of case studies, and a progression of questions for critical reflection, the text presents a conceptual framework for the analysis of the interlocking nature of race, class, gender, and sexuality systems of oppression. The framework illustrates that race, class, gender, and sexuality are: socially constructed, historically and globally specific power relations that are simultaneously expressed at the macro/institutional and the micro/individual levels. The analysis presented is complex, addresses the intersections of oppressive systems without rank ordering them, and points toward effective strategies to promote social justice. A leader in the development of race, class, gender, and sexuality scholarship, Weber has carefully devised the pedagogy of the text and the case studies to reflect the knowledge she has gained from almost twenty years of teaching and consulting with faculty and students across the country about the most effective ways to communicate these complex and sometimes emotionally charged ideas in ways that engage diverse audiences.