Discrimination and Privilege in Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview

An Intersectional Analysis

Abstract

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview powerfully interrogates the complex dynamics of discrimination and privilege through a bold theatrical structure that challenges audience perception. The research investigates discrimination and privilege in Fairview through the lens of Intersectional theory, a framework designed to analyze the interplay of diverse social identities such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and disability and their cumulative effects on discrimination and privilege. Formulated by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the theory contests the notion that social disparities can be analyzed in isolation, positing that they are interrelated and frequently exacerbate one another. A Black woman may encounter both racism and sexism; however, her experience cannot be comprehensively comprehended by examining each kind of prejudice separately. Intersectionality highlights that systems of power, including patriarchy, white racism, and capitalism, are interconnected and must be collectively addressed to comprehend and oppose social injustice more effectively. Drury uses techniques such as silence, direct address, and racial casting reversals to unsettle viewers and force a confrontation with their complicity in systemic racism. Through characters like Beverly, who is burdened by the pressure to present perfection, and the anonymous white voices that later dominate the narrative, the play reveals how privilege operates invisibly and insidiously.