Intersectionality in Psychology: Translational Science for Social Justice

Intersectionality is an analytic tool for studying and challenging complex social inequalities at the nexus of multiple systems of oppression and privilege, including race, gender, sexuality, social class, nation, age, religion, and ability. Although the term has become widely used in psychology, debates continue and confusion persists about what intersectionality actually is and how best to take an intersectional approach to psychological science. This special issue of Translational Issues in Psychological Science on intersectionality includes a range of methodological tools and theoretical perspectives that advance psychological research on intersectionality. In particular, these projects constitute psychological research that takes intersectionality’s political aspirations seriously and envisions psychology as a tool for social justice. The articles model responsible use of intersectionality through citation practices that reflect intersectionality’s origins in Black feminist thought and women of color scholar-activism, as well as through analyses that reflect intersectionality’s commitment to reflexivity, structural critique, and complexity. In this introduction, the editors reflect on intersectionality’s challenge to psychology and consider the place of translational science amid global crises and what critical psychologist Michelle Fine calls “revolting times.”