TY - JOUR

T1 - From interacting systems to a system of divisions

T2 - The concept of society and the ‘mutual constitution’ of intersecting social divisions

AU - Stoetzler, Marcel

PY - 2017/11/1

Y1 - 2017/11/1

N2 - This article examines a fundamental theoretical aspect of the discourse on ‘intersectionality’ in feminist and anti-racist social theory, namely, the question whether intersecting social divisions including those of sex, gender, race, class and sexuality are interacting but independent entities with autonomous ontological bases or whether they are different dimensions of the same social system that lack separate social ontologies and constitute each other. Based on a historical reconstruction of its genesis, the article frames this as a dispute between system-theoretical and dialectical, ‘Critical Theory’-related approaches and argues that the latter better capture the dynamics of contemporary society, including the perspective of its transcendence.

AB - This article examines a fundamental theoretical aspect of the discourse on ‘intersectionality’ in feminist and anti-racist social theory, namely, the question whether intersecting social divisions including those of sex, gender, race, class and sexuality are interacting but independent entities with autonomous ontological bases or whether they are different dimensions of the same social system that lack separate social ontologies and constitute each other. Based on a historical reconstruction of its genesis, the article frames this as a dispute between system-theoretical and dialectical, ‘Critical Theory’-related approaches and argues that the latter better capture the dynamics of contemporary society, including the perspective of its transcendence.

U2 - 10.1177/1368431016647970

DO - 10.1177/1368431016647970

M3 - Article

VL - 20

SP - 455

EP - 472

JO - European Journal of Social Theory

JF - European Journal of Social Theory

SN - 1368-4310

IS - 4

ER -