The intersectional voices of feminism on the broad spectrum: Is language the missing note to better harmonize the women’s movement?

Abstract

This paper explores the intersection of language and feminism, emphasizing the colonial legacies that persist in contemporary discourse. Born into a Francophone identity as an African woman, I confront the alienation embedded in expressing my thoughts in a language tied to colonial history. This disconnect highlights the inadequacies of using dominant linguistic frameworks to navigate discussions around race and gender. My study particularly addresses the experiences of marginalized women in North America, advocating for a recognition of linguistic prejudice as a significant component of feminist discourse. While mainstream feminism often focuses on gender-specific language issues, it frequently neglects the complexities of linguistic inequality, which can perpetuate exclusion and reinforce power hierarchies within feminist spaces. Some immigrant women, for instance, face barriers due to their limited proficiency, accent, and inability to communicate properly in the dominant language. This can lead to socio-economic disadvantages. By addressing these issues within an intersectional feminist framework, this paper calls for a deeper examination of linguistic factors that influence women's lived experiences and stresses the need for narratives that encompass the diverse realities of all women.