“The Everlasting Quest for Fairness” An Intersectional Reading of Fairview (2019) by Jackie Sibblies Drury

“The Everlasting Quest for Fairness”

An Intersectional Reading of Fairview (2019) by Jackie Sibblies Drury

Fairview presents an intersectional scope of an affluent black American middle-class family. Crenshaw, the founder of the term ‘intersectionality’, has been acclaimed for her bold treatment of sensitive subjects relative to prejudice and discrimination. Likewise, Drury’s presentation of salient topics relative to the intersectional, has proved successful and creative. The typical family presented before us, gradually reveal the complexities of the hidden fracture beneath the structure of the American society. The characters of Fairview are on the verge of collapse. Female characters, do exclusively suffer a lot, and are subjected to both the white’s as well as the male’s hegemony, arrogance and surveillance.

Although apparently the play touches upon national, local topics, it can belong to wide sectors of the world’s population. The paper presents the concept of identity as inseparable from the term ‘intersectionality’. Further developments of the term by Collins and Bilge are explored. Identity and power relations are exposed to reveal that intersectionality is, and has become, a thriving prominent term in drama, and criticism. Feminist and anti-racist movements are presented as preludes to the present theory. Interrelation between various categories as well as their inter-connectedness reveal the buried complexities of the growing theory. Drury excels in delineating characters, revealing their plight, and in the unparallelled technicalities. Metatheatrical element, breaking the fourth wall, contrasts, the unexpected utopian ending and the practical participation of the audience are explored within Crenshaw’s intersectional theory framework.