Everything You’ve Been Told About Identity Politics Is WRONG | Ash Sarkar Meets Kimberlé Crenshaw

The far right holds power in the US, inflaming tension along racial lines. ICE agents terrorise the streets, while Black history is erased from school curricula. In the UK too, Nigel Farage’s far right party Reform is on the ascendancy, riding a tide of anti-immigrant sentiment that he has been whipping up for decades. Our guest on Downstream this week is Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, civil rights advocate and legal scholar. Crenshaw is known for coining the term ‘intersectionality’ to describe the ways different forms of discrimination combine or intersect, and is a leading figure within the field of critical race theory. Born into segregation, her new memoir Backtalker (2026) tells her life story, tracking 60 turbulent years of American history in the process. How have the forces of race, class and gender shaped Crenshaw’s own life? What is critical race theory - the academic field Crenshaw founded - really about? Was Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign a failure because she was a weak candidate, or because she was subjected to misogynoir? And in these times of rising fascism, should progressives put their efforts into tackling inequality based on race, or class? 0:00 Introduction 1:53 How Is Blackness Understood in Different Parts of Europe? 6:16 Denial is the Essence of Racism 8:17 A Racist Incident on Ash’s Graduation 9:33 Oprah’s Handbag: Race & Class & Critical Race Theory 13:48 What Is Intersectionality? 18:12 Intersectionality Gone Viral 23:08 The Problem With Identity Politics at University: Race Without Class 28:20 What’s the Best Strategy to Tackle Racism? 35:34 The Importance of Stories About Race: Shame Versus Empowerment 43:27 The Erasure of Multiracial Struggles for Justice 44:51 Identity Politics & Individualism 49:51 American-ness & Intersectionality 55:50 A Lost Anti-Imperialism 1:00:29 The Role of Actually Existing Communism 1:05:09 Race and Gender 1:10:02 The Politics of Music 1:17:30 Anita Hill & Clarence Thomas 1:20:17 Debating Kamala Harris’ Legacy: Weak Candidate or Victim of Misogynoir? 1:29:44 Why Do Voters Keep Choosing Fascism Over Centrism? 1:39:56 What Causes Fascism + Rioting? 1:48:38 Investment in Communities: A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats 1:53:43 The Importance of Back Talking Subscribe to the Downstream newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters/the-downstream-newsletter/ Support our work: http://novara.media/support Buy Novara Media merch: https://shop.novaramedia.com/