Editing Matrix of domination (section)

=== Historical background on the matrix of domination ===
In Collins' ''[[Black Feminist Thought|Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment]]'', she first describes the concept of matrix thinking within the context of how black women in America encounter institutional discrimination based upon their race and gender.<ref name=":02">Collins, Patricia Hill. (2000) ''Black Feminist Thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment''. New York, Routledge.</ref> A prominent example of this in the 1990s was racial segregation, especially as it related to housing, education, and employment. At the time, there was very little encouraged interaction between whites and blacks in these common sectors of society. Collins argues that this demonstrates how being black and female in America continues to perpetuate certain common experiences for African-American women. As such, African-American women live in a different world than those who are not black and female.<ref name=":02" /> Collins notes how this shared social struggle can actually result in the formation of a group-based collective effort, citing how the high concentration of African-American women in the domestic labor sector in combination with racial segregation in housing and schooling contributed directly to the organization of the black feminist movement.<ref name=":02" /> The collective wisdom shared by black women that held these specific experiences constituted a distinct viewpoint for African-American women concerning correlations between their race and gender and the resulting economic consequences.

Moolman points out the main issue concerning matrix thinking is how one accounts for the power dynamics between varying identifying categories that are ingrained in both oppression and domination instead of the traditional approach, reducing experiences to a single identity.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Rethinking 'masculinities in transition' in South Africa considering the 'intersectionality' of race, class, and sexuality with gender|journal = African Identities|volume = 11|pages = 93–105|last=Moolman|first=Benita|date=2013|doi=10.1080/14725843.2013.775843|s2cid = 143227446}}</ref> For instance, black women's experiences with society are used to illustrate how even though white scholars have attempted to use intersectionality in their research, they may still be inclined to default towards single-identity thinking that often fails to address all aspects of black women's experiences, thus ignoring the organization the matrix objectively offers.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281204860|title=Pursuing Intersectionality, Unsettling Dominant Imaginaries|last=May|first=Vivian|date=2015-01-01|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415808408}}</ref>

The matrix of domination in the colonial era and white society has also been carefully examined. The societal hierarchy determined by race and implemented under apartheid locates different racial populations in regards to their privilege, with African Americans usually at the bottom of the ladder. Dhamoon argues that on a global scale, the spot occupied by African Americans in such context is interchangeable with indigenous populations, as marginalized peoples are systematically working both within and across a matrix of interrelated axes of "penalty and privilege".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.feralfeminisms.com/rita-dhamoon/|title=A FEMINIST APPROACH TO DECOLONIZING ANTI-RACISM: RETHINKING TRANSNATIONALISM, INTERSECTIONALITY, AND SETTLER COLONIALISM|website=feralfeminisms.com|access-date=2018-03-31}}</ref> The interconnectivity of different identities in regards to power in racial structures in post-colonial era societies help illustrate what changes make a difference. The framework setup of the matrix of domination connects its origin theory and thought to existing struggles in the political and social spheres of society. A closer look at both specific and broader aspects of matrix thought will shed more light on the inner-workings and mechanisms that determine how different relationship dynamics influence matrix categorizations.<ref name=":2" />

May cites that an important implication that matrix thinking inspires is that it directly goes against what is often described as the socially inclusive ‘add and stir’ approach.<ref name=":12" /> This is often used when describing the addition of one or more identity group to existing epistemological approaches, political strategies or research methodologies. This accounts for the proper weighing of power dynamics and their impact on different groups of people. Intersectionality centers power in a multi-pronged way as shifting across different sites and scales at the same time. Therefore, it is not neutral but evolved out of histories of struggle that pursue multidimensional forms of justice.<ref name=":12" />