Thank God for Dr. Patricia Hill Collins. This book has been called one of the grails for Black feminism. Rightfully so.
Abstract
Black Feminist Thought was first published in 1990 by writer and scholar, Patricia Hill Collins. Collins is a distinguished professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She wrote with the purpose of exploring the values, ideas, work and resistance of Black feminists in the U.S. She centers Black women in her analysis throughout time, and has updated the introductions to fit the social shifts of the last three decades. It was almost an anthology of Black femme leaders who have impacted academia, art, fiction, music, and theater.
My main takeaways are as follows;
1- Cultural impact is everywhere. There is no part of life where a Black feminist can exist where their contributions won't change reality
2- Epistemology and research dissemination are at the core of Black Feminist Thought
3- No one Black woman can speak to all of our experiences, but authenticity to self with fidelity to the collective good are evergreen traits for a successful Black feminist leader/thinker.
Author: Patricia Hill Collins
Overview
Black Feminist Thought was organized as an academic primer to Black Feminism. It was packed with evidence, citations and valuable breadcrumbs to lead the reader to their own conclusions about how they will interpret and champion the theories within it.
I love that the most recent version includes the old and new prefaces. We can see the development of Dr. Collins' thought in her own field of expertise. "I was committed to making the book intellectually rigorous, well researched and accessible to more than the select few fortunate enough to receive elite educations." And with this quote, I was keyed in. For non-academics, I could see how the format is dry. However, the content is so rich that the academic format of the book was negligible.
It has three parts. Part One: The Social Construction of Black Feminism was a comprehensive breakdown of political ideology and how it simultaneously shaped and threatened the existence of Black women and girls. Part Two: Core Themes in Black Feminist Thought was the most lengthy section. It was oozing with those references and citations to legendary Black feminist thinkers in the U.S. across history. My favorite aspects of this section were the analysis of Black femme blues artists, Black women at work, sexuality , relationships and motherhood. Part Three: Black Feminism, Knowledge and Power talks about the global politics of power and knowledge that impact the future of Black Feminism.
Highlights & Synthesis
Collins sets a standard on how to approach and think about Black Feminism, with humility placed throughout. She masterfully interjects several times in the book that her identity as a Black woman and personal closeness to the topic may be to her detriment. We have discussed in my doctoral courses how the researcher's positionality can affect its outcome. The research question, methodology, analysis and communication of findings are all impacted by the researcher themselves. Dr. Collins navigates that masterfully, such that I can see myself in her presentation of the subject. She admittedly shifts her language from the outsider perspective, using them/they, to the in-group perspective, using we and us.
Their presentation of information left me with the desire to read/listen again. My decision to listen to this book first was a sincerely enjoyable 17 hour recording. It is affirming and genuine, and did not feel pushy or like a call to action. There were multiple times where I audibly squealed in glee, laughed in disbelief, or groaned in frustration at their honesty and clear analysis of Black feminism. On my second listen, I can make note of the names they dropped throughout, and make an effort to deep dive into the works of these Black feminist leaders. I will be returning to this book to recenter my interpretation of a concept or find the north star to guide my research.
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