LIST OF PANELS

Relevance: Addressing intersecting health and social inequities is a pressing policy priority, particularly as brought to light by the growing awareness of interlocking global challenges including COVID-19 pandemic recovery, climate change, and geopolitical instability. Interest in intersectionality has grown internationally and across all sectors in the last decade with a growing number of examples of intersectionality-informed policy research emerging. Despite the progress, misunderstandings persist on how to operationalize an intersectional approach, largely due to multiple and contrasting interpretations of intersectionality; lack of training of policymakers; siloed government structures; and a lack of appropriate data. This has no doubt created confusion and frustration over how intersectionality can be drawn upon to ensure the best and most transformative outcomes in policy work. As a result, there are growing international calls for accurate and effective uses of intersectionality that transcend the shortcomings of efforts to date. Specifically, these calls focus on the need for clear and context relevant guidance and tools on how to operationalize intersectionality to realize its full potential (e.g. Ghasemi et al. 2021; Yam et al. 2021, Christofferson & Hankivsky 2021; Hawkes & Allotey 2020; Sasser et al. 2020; Bowleg 2020; Scottish Government 2022; La Barbera et al 2022; USAID 2022; Tavenner et al 2022; IPPN 2022).

The proposed panel responds to these calls, with the objective of helping to address barriers and obstacles to operationalizing intersectionality, and to identify strategies and approaches to advance intersectionality-informed policy work by both state and non-state actors. Further objectives include the promotion of engagement and knowledge exchange, to highlight promising and new intersectionality-informed frameworks and guidance, to share insights and lessons learned based on experience and expertise. The panel is motivated by the following research question: what knowledge generation is needed for the next generation of approaches that can address the growing calls for improving the precision and ease with which intersectionality is operationalized? In proposing this panel, we hope to advance discussions that will focus on exploring tensions between existing approaches to operationalizing intersectionality, barriers and enablers, and how to move the work in the field forward through case studies and illustration.

The panel will bring together multi-sectoral and multijurisdictional experts and scholars who have worked with international organizations, different levels of governments and community groups to develop specific toolkits, especially in the last three years, during which time there has been a marked increase in the production of intersectionality-informed guidance. We especially seek contributions from the Global South. Contributing paper presenters will be invited to contribute to a special journal issue on the topic.

Interest in intersectionality has grown internationally and across all sectors in the last decade with a growing number of examples of intersectionality-informed policy research emerging. Despite the progress, misunderstandings persist on how to operationalize an intersectional approach, largely due to multiple and contrasting interpretations of intersectionality; lack of training of policymakers; siloed government structures; and a lack of appropriate data. This has no doubt created confusion and frustration over how intersectionality can be drawn upon to ensure the best and most transformative outcomes in policy work. As a result, there are growing international calls for clear and context relevant guidance and tools on how to operationalize intersectionality to realize its full potential.

The proposed panel responds to these calls, with the objective of helping to address barriers and obstacles to operationalizing intersectionality, and to identify strategies and approaches to advance intersectionality-informed policy work by both state and non-state actors. The panel is motivated by the following research question: what knowledge generation is needed for the next generation of approaches that can address the growing calls for improving the precision and ease with which intersectionality is operationalized? Through this call for papers, we hope to advance cutting edge discussions that will focus on exploring tensions between existing approaches to operationalizing intersectionality, barriers and enablers, and how to move the work in the field forward through case studies and illustration.

The panel is designed to will bring together multi-sectoral and multijurisdictional experts and scholars who have worked with international organizations, different levels of governments and community groups to develop specific toolkits, especially in the last three years, during which time there has been a marked increase in the production of intersectionality-informed guidance. We especially seek contributions from the Global South. Contributing paper presenters will be invited to contribute to a special journal issue on the topic.