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26th out of 580 books
—
753 voters
Feminist Theory from Margin to Center
by
Bell Hooks
hooks suggests that feminists have not succeeded in creating a mass movement against sexist oppression because the very foundation of women's liberation has not accounted for the complexity and diversity of female experience.
Paperback, 174 pages
Published
December 1st 1984
by South End Press
(first published 1984)
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Reading this book immediately following hooks' first book, Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism reveals how much a writer and theorist can develop in just a few years. Where Ain't I a Woman suffered because of underdeveloped points and undertheorized intersections of class with race and gender, Feminist Theory from Margin to Center shines. Hooks here works to re-define feminism in a way that opens up the movement to women and men of all race and class backgrounds and allows feminism to work...more
It took me a while, but I finally finished it. It took a while not because I didn't want to read it, but rather because it was so deep I wanted to read it when I could devote a hefty chunk of time to read it and process the info.
My copy has a bazillion pink and yellow tabs sticking out of it; all the spots I want to quote and blog about later. So many truths in that book... too bad about the author.
I have not researched this, but I heard it from someone whose intel I trust. bell hooks, while par...more
My copy has a bazillion pink and yellow tabs sticking out of it; all the spots I want to quote and blog about later. So many truths in that book... too bad about the author.
I have not researched this, but I heard it from someone whose intel I trust. bell hooks, while par...more
I just finished this book, and I found it challenging (in the sense that it challenges some generally accepted notions) and very thoughtful and well-written. She argues that mainstream feminism, which has been dominated by middle and upper-class white women, has not opened its doors adequately to non-white and working class women. she argues that part of the reason the movement has failed is because there has been an internalization of the sexist oppression paradigm by the leaders of the feminis...more
Just a brief review for now, I will try to get back and expand this later. I think bell hooks did a wonderful job laying out many of the limitations of some strands of feminist research has been influenced by those conducting it, and how through this and other processes many people who might identify with the aims of feminist research have felt alienated from it or saw it as foreign or even threatening.
I was originally given this book by my adviser because of the idea of using the "margins" of...more
I was originally given this book by my adviser because of the idea of using the "margins" of...more
A necessary, eye-opening read that I recommend to anyone who has ever sounded off on political issues.
Hooks' critiques are thorough, well presented, and piercingly direct. She is inviting all her readers to reevaluate their positions, their biases, and their activism.
"To build a mass-based feminist movement, we need to have a liberatory ideology that can be shared with everyone. That revolutionary ideology can be created only if the experiences of people on the margin who suffer sexist oppressio...more
Hooks' critiques are thorough, well presented, and piercingly direct. She is inviting all her readers to reevaluate their positions, their biases, and their activism.
"To build a mass-based feminist movement, we need to have a liberatory ideology that can be shared with everyone. That revolutionary ideology can be created only if the experiences of people on the margin who suffer sexist oppressio...more
I used to think feminist theory was really important to study and learn about. And then John Mayer wrote a song that made it all unnecessary:
"Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too"
"Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too"
bell hooks kicked open the door, and said that feminism was pretty much available in only one flavor, making it difficult, if not impossible, for women of other races and classes to join in. Feminism lacked diversity (barring lip service) because it didn't accommodate all women. It did not hear or see women whose lives did not mirror those of middle or upper class, college-educated Caucasian women.
Then she broke down the next door and declared that no one even knew what Feminism was. It's not b...more
Then she broke down the next door and declared that no one even knew what Feminism was. It's not b...more
This book really helped me see the complex relationship between sexism and racism. And my place as not only someone who suffers oppression as a woman, but also as a white woman, someone who benefits from the racist oppression of others and therefore causes suffering in others.
Incredible book. Examines the issues around women liberation through the lens of race, class, and gender, and shows in amazing detail how ignoring just one of these would diminish the possibilities of the entire movement. One thing that I am absolutely reveling in is the way how bell hooks advocates for wholeness, how its not men who are the enemy but the whole capitalistic ethos that puts aggressive competition as its ultimate ideal. How even women can be oppressors, in family, at work, and on...more
I read this book in college and it greatly altered my thinking about feminism. I found the radical feminist approach enlightening. It was especially eye-opening to consider the viewpoint and experiences of women of color and women of varying economic backgrounds.
What I like about bell hooks is how commonsense her approach is. She breaks down the situation, simply and directly, criticizing some of the contradictions that have plagued liberation struggles while still showing that they have merit. Unlike Marcuse, who was simply content to mock and giggle and suggest that nothing does anything ever, she is deadly serious about wanting to generate real-world solutions.
My main concern is that she works at such a grand, theoretical scale that I don't think her...more
My main concern is that she works at such a grand, theoretical scale that I don't think her...more
Rarely have I felt alienated by a feminist text; I've read hooks on a few occasions (and enjoyed her), but I found this book to be both hostile and hypocritical. As hooks is arguing for an allowance of complexity and a breakdown of dualistic cultural thinking, the way she phrases both her issues with the 'white bourgeois femininst movement' (an appropriate critique at that historical moment, so foundationally, I agree) and possible solutions, she once again falls into reductive formulations and...more
I appreciate the many discussions about class as it relates to feminist theory. It reminds me of Franz Wright asking for a poetry anthology organized by class rather than by race or gender--you don't see editors pulling together categories of literature based on class, even though it might be a more defining factor. hooks says "Until women accept the need for redistribution of wealth and resources in the United States and work towards the achievement of that end, there will be no bonding among w...more
i thought this book was great! the blending of issues of class and race along with women's oppression is an all too rare phenomenon outside marxist analysis of women's oppression. hooks' critique of feminist theory is important for everyone to read. and while she uses terms like 'patriarchy' it is clear that she doesn't use it in the narrow theoretical way indicating all men oppress all women all the time. the only problem i had with it (outside of a couple of things simply related to the period...more
This was about what I expected, which is to say pretty incredible. My feminist book learning is pretty lax - I've grown comfortable enough with general ideas that I feel like I have a fair grasp of them & can comfortably talk about them with other people. But a deep understanding of those ideas and how they mesh with other ideas is still lacking, and obviously hooks can help me figure those things out.
Early in reading it I remarked that hooks was 'rhetorically kicking my ass,*' and she kept...more
Early in reading it I remarked that hooks was 'rhetorically kicking my ass,*' and she kept...more
This is hands down one of the best books that I've ever read. The author takes great pains to avoid essentialism while providing us with a clarion call to action. Understanding the differences among women for her doesn't lead to paralysis but pushes us to find bridges to work on common goals and shared purpose. While elites have taken over the women's movement and used it to amplify class demands or what have you, it need not be that and if they had an interest in making an effective women's mov...more
more bell hooks brilliance as usual. written in 84, this one criticizes the (white-dominated) feminist movement of the time, and provides another important stepping stone from the Second Wave to the Third Wave of Feminism.
also includes brilliant sections like this passage from page 121:
"Patriarchal male rule took on an entirely different character in the context of advanced capitalist society... As workers, most men in our culture (like working women) are controlled, dominated. Unlike working wo...more
also includes brilliant sections like this passage from page 121:
"Patriarchal male rule took on an entirely different character in the context of advanced capitalist society... As workers, most men in our culture (like working women) are controlled, dominated. Unlike working wo...more
Perhaps more than any other author, bell hooks has managed to reframe Feminism. Before hooks, what was meant by "Feminism" was "increased opportunity" for upperclass white women; thanks to hooks, Feminism has now included other voices, and more importantly reformulated Feminism to challenge masculine domination (does inclusion in the boardroom mean "equal opportunity," or does it just participate in centuries-old practices of domination and exploitation?). And plus she's a terrific writer. But n...more
Apr 08, 2013
Rakan
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history-and-biographies,
society-and-gender
في كتابها "النظرية النسوية: من الهامش إلى المركز" تنتقد بيل هووك الخطاب النسوي السائد (نسوية الموجة الثانية) وتدعو إلى خطاب أكثر إتساعاً وتسامحاً يشمل الأقليات الإثنية، وأصحاب الميول المثلية، ونساء الطبقات الفقيرة، والرجال، وغيرهم. كما ترى أن الخطاب -كما هو عليه الآن- بلغ من الحِدة ما لا يطاق، وأن هذا أدى إلى إنخفاض شعبيته بين العامة. تدعو هوك كذلك النسويات إلى إعادة النظر في مفهوم القوة كما يُعرّفه الرجال (مرادفاً للسيطرة) وأن يتم إستثمار الجوانب الأخرى كالقوة الشرائية مثلاً، بالإضافة إلى مراجع...more
(8/10) This is a critical book in the literature of third-wave feminism, basically laying out a critique of the past and a cogent way of moving forward. To the modern reader who's well-educated in this type of thing, there won't be anything especially revelatory, but that's because the ideas hooks presents have been so thoroughly influential in the discourse of women's studies and feminism. And all this is done in a style which is simple and approachable to the point of being almost simplistic....more
hooks is really nice because she conveys somewhat difficult theory with clear language that doesn't make you feel like someone is calling you retarded over and over again. she's really good at incorporating a lot of different third wave fem theory like identity politics and socialist feminisms, however doesn't quite seal the deal when it comes to being reflexive. she drops the ball on lgbt issues and multi-national feminisms, which disappoints me since she is so critical of feminisms that are to...more
Bell hooks, writing in the mid-eighties, discusses how second-wave feminism could reclaim its focus on social justice and become relevant to everyone. Picked this up at a library book sale and loved it. Hooks' prose style is crisp and direct and quietly passionate, occupying the space where popular and academic writing meets. It is not an introduction to feminism, but it's a great read for anyone wanting to consider more deeply the place of feminism in social justice movements now.
For anyone with outdated ideas of what Feminism is (that it's anti-male, separatist, etc. etc.), this book should be required reading. In fact, this may be the best argument as to why Feminism should be advocated and why it is essential in order for humanity to move forward.
For those who consider themselves feminists, but who opperate under narrowly defined, self-interested goals need to drastically rethink their belief systems.
I recommend this book to every human being on the planet. Pick it u...more
For those who consider themselves feminists, but who opperate under narrowly defined, self-interested goals need to drastically rethink their belief systems.
I recommend this book to every human being on the planet. Pick it u...more
Hooks has me floored with her no-duh insights into the mis/conceptions about feminism/feminist advocacy, though at times i question whether or not she might be falling into her own trap. the speed with which she barrels through statements requires me to re-read them, as i am not sure when i might me missing something or mistaking something seemingly obvious for a statement that is really loaded. if she took time to unpack everything, this book would definitely be twice as long, but half as much...more
Jul 15, 2012
Meg
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
feminist-theory
bell hooks is a powerhouse. From Margin to Center is a collection of essays addressing feminist theory in its many iterations and the fundamental changes that must be made to have a complete and transformative feminist movement.
Some of my favorite parts of this book are when she brings herself into the picture. Shows herself as a teacher, a writer, a black woman, a sibling in house of seven children. The examples are brief but paired with quotes from other feminists of all types and her constan...more
Some of my favorite parts of this book are when she brings herself into the picture. Shows herself as a teacher, a writer, a black woman, a sibling in house of seven children. The examples are brief but paired with quotes from other feminists of all types and her constan...more
bell hooks. Hell yeah. She's very intelligent, and illustrates problems but also offers solutions. This is an approachable read, but I can see it making some people who are not sure about feminism (well, maybe more so about white privilege than feminism) angry, or at the very least, uncomfortable. Those people should suck it.
Ini dia buku yang mengungkap bagaimana rasisme masih berjalan di antara berbagai ranah kehidupan, membawa kemarahan, buku teori ini memberi pencerahan bahwa masih ada rasa yang harus dihilangkan rasis, prejudis, dan stigma, terutama di dalam institusi yang membentuk perkembangan manusia
Oct 02, 2009
Grouchymax
added it
I need to re-read this book to know what I think of it now. It was instructional, took the place of having smart, feminist mentors in the 90s (peers aplenty, but where were the adults? all 2nd wave and/or busy? I probably just didn't look hard enough). so I've always felt indebted to bell hooks, and thankful for this book.
good stuff. some of my favorite parts are when she relates her points through anecdotes from her involvement in the second wave feminist movement. also some powerful stuff about working class men being trapped in vicious cycles of systematic disenfranchisement where they're encouraged to oppress women as means of expressing empowerment.
other stuff i hadn't necessarily encountered elsewhere are her sections on the fetishization of motherhood as oppression. and false fatherhood / motherhood dicho...more
other stuff i hadn't necessarily encountered elsewhere are her sections on the fetishization of motherhood as oppression. and false fatherhood / motherhood dicho...more
bell hooks goes about analyzing the current state of feminism by examining some of contemporary feminism’s most famous tenets, for example, “the personal is political”, the concept of seeking equality, and the strive for “sisterhood” in the feminist movements. She adeptly finds the weakness in such arguments and points out the ignored complications that arose from ignoring intersectionalities of race and class.
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bell hooks (born Gloria Jean Watkins) is an African-American author, feminist, and social activist. Her writing has focused on the interconnectivity of race, class, and gender and their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and domination. She has published over thirty books and numerous scholarly and mainstream articles, appeared in several documentary films and participated in...more
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“There will be no mass-based feminist movement as long as feminist ideas are understood only by a well-educated few.”
—
33 people liked it
“..the struggle to end sexist oppression that focuses on destroying the cultural basis for such domination strengthens other liberation struggles. Individuals who fight for the eradication of sexism without struggles to end racism or classism undermine their own efforts. Individuals who fight for the eradication of racism or classism while supporting sexist oppression are helping to maintain the cultural basis of all forms of group oppression.”
—
12 people liked it
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