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A View from the Margins. A Situated Intersectional Perspective in Philosophy

In this article, we introduce a situated intersectional perspective as an approach to look critically at the ways in which philosophical knowledge is constructed, and to question what disappears from sight in the process. ‘Intersectionality’ and ‘situated knowledges’ are two concepts that have been developed within feminist scholarship. While they have been taken up widely in gender studies and other social science disciplines, their reception within the field of philosophy has been limited. However we contend this approach has a lot to offer philosophy, and can serve as a fruitful strategic tool for making difference visible within philosophical discussions. After introducing and contextualizing these central concepts, the article puts a situated intersectional perspective in practice through an analysis of Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of the body. Looking at Merleau-Ponty’s theory through this lens shows both how his thought on the body is shaped through his own historical and geo-political situatedness, as well as the intersectional blind spots that this situatedness brings with it. We argue that this case study demonstrates the importance of diverse voices and perspectives within the field, not in order to dismiss Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, but rather in order to use it as a starting point for a multiplicity of embodied experiences. By opening up a space for critical reflection on one’s own situation and recognizing the partiality of our perspectives, a situated intersectional perspective challenges exclusionary tendencies in philosophy.