Intersectional justice and normative power in the planetary organic crisis

This article examines how intersectionality can sharpen a normative power approach (NPA) in addressing the planetary organic crisis—the interlinked environmental, social, and economic injustices intensified by neoliberal capitalism. Building on Manners’ vision of an NPA that seeks to reshape harmful global “normalities,” the analysis foregrounds intersectional justice as a critical lens for both diagnosing inequalities and guiding transformative action. Drawing on seven intersectional principles that help to better understand planetary crisis—including multilevel analysis, reflexivity, relationality, and the interrogation of power—I demonstrate how overlapping systems of oppression (race, class, gender, coloniality) shape vulnerability to environmental degradation and economic exploitation, while disproportionally benefiting the wealthier and powerful. From there, the discussion moves from analysis to action, highlighting how intersectional justice can inform fairer governance practices, emphasizing redistribution, inclusive decision-making, and policy reforms, such as progressive wealth and carbon taxes or corporate accountability measures. By merging intersectionality’s focus on social justice with the NPA’s emphasis on redefining “the normal,” this integrated framework offers conceptual tools for scholars, activists, and policymakers to reimagine politics in a way that prioritizes those most affected by structural inequalities.