feminist theory from margin to center sparknotes

Black feminists address intersectionality to determine how social systems interact and link together. Kimberlé Crenshaw coined intersectionality to argue that racism and sexism operate as mutually interlocking systems of oppression that result in forms of disadvantage that affect Black women uniquely at the political, representational, and structural levels of society. While self-definition refers to the ways Black women challenge stereotypes, self-valuation involves the ways they create authentic images of themselves to replace these stereotypes. The theme of self-definition and self-valuation in Black feminist thought addresses the dehumanization and internalized oppression that underlie the power dynamics that contribute to the controlling images that affect Black women. Self-Definition and Self-Valuation for Black Women For example, I do this type of Black feminist sociology in my work on the #SayHerName campaign.

The importance of Black women’s cultureĭrawing on these themes, Black women intellectuals can use their outsider within status to introduce a unique perspective to existing sociological approaches.

The capacity for self-definition and self-valuation among Black women.

Through this work, they produce Black feminist thought characterized by three themes: To do so, they draw on the personal or cultural biographies of Black women as sources of knowledge. So when Black feminist sociologists begin at the standpoint of Black women, they bring Black women, in the words of bell hooks, from the margins to the center.Īccording to Collins, Black women intellectuals theorize from the experiences of Black women to make clear the collective, Black women’s standpoint. The standpoint of Black women differs from the standpoint bolstered by mainstream sociology.

Mainstream sociology places the perspectives and views of white men and historically either omitted Black women from research and theory or has distorted Black womanhood through controlling images designed to justify their oppression. How Black Women Intellectuals Do SociologyĬollins brings attention to how sociology has marginalized Black women in her 1986 article. The concept of the outsider within builds on feminist standpoint theory and Black feminist thought to illuminate how the intersectionality of racism, sexism, and classism sustains social inequalities and injustices. Collins developed the concept to describe “how a social group’s placement in the specific, historical context of race, gender, and class inequality might influence its point of view on the world.” These articles outline this concept to draw attention to the significance of placing Black women at the center of sociological analysis.

Sociologist Patricia Hill Collins coined the term outsider within in a 1986 Social Problems article and expanded on the concept in a 1999 article for the Journal of Career Development.

Feminist theory from margin to center sparknotes