Intersections of Inequality
WSTB11 - Winter 2023
Instructor: Dr. Atiqa Hachimi
TA: Karen Dhaliwal
Personal Narrative Assignment (20%)
Due February 09, 2023
Storytelling is an important methodological tool to explore the ways in which systems of
oppression and privilege intersect in our lives, and it can also be invaluable in resisting social
injustice. This critical personal narrative assignment gives you the opportunity to theorize you
own lives by building on the conceptual tools and methods of intersectionality that you are
exposed to in this course. You are expected to formulate and defend an argument about the
articulation of multiple forms of oppression and suggest ideas and strategies for challenging
inequalities in society.
Personal narratives are stories that have a plot, characters, time and place, setting, a sequence
of events, complicating actions, tensions, and resolutions. They are told from a specific point
of view to serve a purpose. Resources on how to write a personal narrative can be found here:
https://www.aresearchguide.com/write-narrative-essay.html.
You are not required to draw on outside sources of information, but you are welcome to do so
if you wish. Your narrative should not exceed two single-spaced pages (12-point font size),
not including references. It is due on 09 February no later than 11:59pm on Quercus. For
students who require accommodation, the deadline will differ based on the student’s specific
needs as recommended by AccessAbility Services.
Choosing a personal narrative
In thinking about this exercise, keep in mind the feminist dictum: “The personal is political.”
Your personal narrative (i.e., non-fiction story) can be based on an auto-biographical account
(an account given by someone who has experienced the event themselves) or an eyewitness
account (an account given by someone who was present at an event). There are endless
personal narratives about the intersections of inequality that you can choose from but you
should be very strategic about the story you choose to tell and why this story in particular. To
help you think about this exercise, ask yourself the following questions:
- Which complex social problem in Canada (or globally) affects you and/or your family
personally, or matters the most to you whether or not it affects you personally?
- Was there a turning point in your life, if any, when you realized that you must get
involved in issues of equity and social justice? If so, was it a personal experience,
something you read (a story, a book, an article, a blog, a tweet etc.), something you
watched (e.g., a film, a show, a documentary, or some other media artefact), a class
you took, the success of a contemporary social movement (e.g., #MeToo,
#BlackLivesMatter, #IdleNoMore), the rise of the far-right, etc.
- Do you remember a moment or situation when your own privilege(s)/disadvantage(s)
became visible to you? How did that make you feel? Did you choose to do something
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about it? If not, ask yourself why did you choose to remain silent and to what extent
your silence maintains the status quo?
- What can you do (or you are doing already) to dismantle the structures of domination
that enable and perpetuate your privilege or oppression?
Some social problems to consider
- The feminization and/or racialization of poverty;
- Gendered and racialized forms of violence;
- The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada;
- The intersection of gender, racism and religion (e.g., Islamophobia)
- The intersection of racism and homophobia or transphobia;
- The intersection of gender, caste, and class inequalities;
- The intersection of gender, ability and ethnicity;
- The intersection of gender, age, and body shape;
- The intersection of gender, race and citizenship status (e.g., refugees, asylum-seekers)
- Others?
Guidelines
What to include in your personal narrative?
(1) Provide a title for your personal narrative (keep it short); a good title should capture the
main idea of the personal narrative. It should be intriguing regardless of whether it is
conservative, creative, or a mixture of both (e.g., “White without white privilege”, “How
Nike took advantage of my veil”). For tips on how to come up with a good title see
https://edusson.com/blog/how-to-title-an-essay
(2) Provide a clear thesis statement, i.e., state very clearly and succinctly the main point of
your personal story. Check out this very useful link for tips and examples:
https://classroom.synonym.com/should-start-thesis-personal-narrative-3529.html
(3) Explain why you have chosen to tell this personal narrative in particular and not some
other story (see Choosing a personal narrative above).
(4) Keep in mind that your personal story must say something about intersectionality,
privilege, identity, the workings of power and inequality, social justice, solidarity, Allyship,
etc.
(5) Describe what you believe are the larger implications of your personal story. In other
words, try to convince/persuade your readers why they should care about this intersectional
issue and what can be done about it.
Mechanics of your personal narrative
➢ Your personal story should be written in complete sentences. Bulleted-point answers
will not be accepted.
➢ You should cite at least three academic references from the course readings.
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➢ When you quote an author directly, it is important to provide their name, date of
publication and page number (e.g., Hill Collins and Bilge 2016: 276). If you
paraphrase what they have said you only need to include their name and publication
date (e.g., Hill Collins and Bilge 2016).
➢ Please proofread your narrative essay prior to submission (use Word or Grammarly
to check your spelling and grammar). As this is a take-home assignment, sloppy
essays will be marked down! You should read your essay several times to ensure that
its structure makes sense and that it flows nicely. Peer reviewing is an excellent way
to get feedback, so you might also want to ask one of your classmates to read your
essay and offer to read theirs.
➢ References or bibliography should follow either the Chicago style referencing system
(set out in http://www.libs.uga.edu/ref/chicago.html or APA style (set out in
http://www.liu.edu/cwis/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm). Choose one and BE
CONSISTENT!
