Lethal Intersections
School shootings, police misconduct, and sexual assault where people are injured and die dominate the news. What are the connections between such incidents of violence and extreme harm?
In this new book, world-renowned sociologist Patricia Hill Collins explores how violence differentially affects people according to their class, sexuality, nationality, and ethnicity. These invisible workings of overlapping power relations give rise to what she terms “lethal intersections,” where multiple forms of oppression converge to catalyze a set of violent practices that fall more heavily on particular groups. Drawing on a rich tapestry of cases, Collins challenges readers to reflect on what counts as violence today and what can be done about it. Resisting violence offers a common thread that weaves together disparate antiviolence projects across the world. When parents of murdered children organize against gun violence, when Black citizens march against the excessive use of police force in their neighborhoods, and when women and girls report sexual abuse by employers, coaches, and community leaders, the ideas and actions of ordinary people lay a foundation for new ways of thinking about and combating violence.
Through its ground-breaking analysis, Lethal Intersections aims to stimulate debate about violence as one of the most pressing social problems of our times.
Also available as an audiobook.
Patricia Hill Collins is Distinguished University Professor of Sociology Emerita at the University of Maryland. Known for her work on the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and nationality, she has written several ground-breaking books, including Black Feminist Thought, Black Sexual Politics, and two editions of her popular course text Intersectionality, which she co-authored with Sirma Bilge. Her new book, Lethal Intersections, is out in late 2023.A former president of the American Sociological Association, Professor Collins is also the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the 2023 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture.