Bell Hooks Feminist Politics Where We Stand Summary

The essay I am analysing is by Bell Hooks, a published author of over 30 books, a teacher and a very successful activist. Her early education was in the still racially segregated schools of the United States in the 60’s. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in English and then continued to earn her doctorate in the literature department. She has been teaching since 1973 and published the essay Feminist Politics: Where We Stand, in 2003. Her thesis being “Feminist politics is losing momentum because feminist movement has lost clear definitions. We have those definitions. Lets reclaim them.” She defines feminism as a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.

In the essay Feminist Politics: Where We Stand by Bell Hooks, bell hooks

Though the writing is essentially very solid with lots of evidence to match the claims, there is a lack of evidence for the claims about those she references as the “christian” masses who listen and control media, not stating clearly what being “christian” entails. A second weakness is the author's personal experience which could be interpreted as biased. The author, being a black woman in the world, has a much different experience in patriarchal society than a white woman. This perceived bias could be interpreted incorrectly and misconstrued as the negative forms of feminism Hooks’ is trying to veer away from. However, I believe that the basis of the author’s own experience is evidence to the claims she makes. She also makes quite a few calls to authority, to credible sources. In context to her own experiences, white feminism is an everyday thing for her and many other women of colour. She inserts somewhat evidence to her claims of the white and monetarily privileged by insisting that even though black women did the same amount of activism, they were often treated as radicals because they were not only oppressed for their sex but also for their race. Though there is perceived bias, that is only from one side of the story. White women would not have the same experience as Hooks’, therefore the bias would exist on all ends. I believe that the idea of defining a form of feminism which is a privileged form of