Deconstructing Dualisms: The Both/And Conceptual Orientation and its Variant Linguistic Form

Abstract

This article outlines the both/and conceptual orientation described by feminist sociologist Patricia Hill Collins and discusses the ways in which this orientation subverts and denies prevalent cultural dualisms. Three distinct characteristics of the both/and conceptual orientation are outlined: the preservation of distinctness between its aspects, the relative equivalence of weight granted to each, and the absence of tension between those aspects. A simpler linguistic variant is also introduced that does not necessarily entail these three important characteristics. Through examination of interview data, different uses and features of the both/and conceptual orientation are explored. Suggestions are made for the ways in which understanding this conceptual orientation can make visible sophisticated ways of reasoning that might otherwise be ignored or misinterpreted.