Introduction to the special issue, “intersectional experiences and marginalized voices”

Abstract In order to advance our goal of highlighting intersectional work and the importance of centering critical praxis we felt it was necessary to make a visible contribution to the Mid-South Sociological Association’s journal, Sociological Spectrum. While there are issues of general sociology journals that focus on “race, class, and gender” there are few instances of these same journals dedicating an entire issue to “intersectionality.” Never before has Sociological Spectrum published a special issue totally dedicated to intersectional research, analysis, and praxis. We begin with a rationale for this special issue, then follow with a brief review of intersectionality, highlighting the seminal research and the variety of applications. Next, we summarize the articles in this special issue to demonstrate the versatility of intersectionality. We end with a call to recognize the importance of intersectional scholarship and application to social justice work