An Intersectional Approach to Educational Inequalities
An Intersectional Approach to Educational Inequalities

Summary/Abstract: Within the framework of a strictly defined intersectional analysis of simultaneous negative impacts, very few Bulgarian sociological studies have taken into account the effects of class, ethnicity, and gender. This article introduces the concept of intersectionality, which has been underused in Bulgarian sociology but can be useful in explaining multiple inequalities. It aims to theoretically distinguish the cognitive potential of the different approaches to the complex set of inequalities that are included in the concept of intersectionality: on the one hand, intracategorical, anticategorical, and in- tercategorical, and on the other hand, structural and political. The purpose is to demonstrate their empirical applicability in analysing specific situations of multiple exclusion and deprivation in terms of educational opportunities. The article interprets results of international comparative empirical studies that apply the concept of intersectionality in exploring fairness of educational opportunities and the role of participation in adult learning, which is an important mechanism for reducing the negative effects of multiple inequalities.

• Details
• Contents