Bell Hooks, Black Feminist Thought

The second feminist movement and black civil rights movement took off in the United States in sixties and seventies in the twentieth century, which gave birth to bell hooks (notes:the writer insist that her name should be written in lower case)'s black feminist theory. Her theory is not only the important part of black feminist, but also contributes to the perfection of contemporary feminist theory and feminist practice. Hooks severely criticized racism, sexism, classism in feminist movement, redefined feminism and feminist movement. Her political goal is to eliminate all forms of discrimination, exploitation and oppression. She also called on the respect and combination between every race and gender. This paper selects bell hooks's black feminist as research project, designed to sort out the hard process of hooks on pursuing racial and gender equality, finding that the existence of racism and sexism in American feminist movements, and does some rational thought and criticism on it.The first chapter discusses the background of hooks's theory. There are two significant social reform movements in sixties and seventies in the twentieth century, which are the black civil rights in sixties and feminist movement in seventies, and the black feminist theory of hooks is the combination of two movements. Historically, race, gender and class are the multiple chains on African-American women. They are one of the groups which are unique and representative, and their conditions often reflect the tensions and dilemmas of American society. Compared to black men and white women, they are more vulnerable and much easier to suffer from severe neglect and discrimination. The detailed investigation of the background can help us understand the idea of hooks more deeply, and explore the form of historical identity of black women.The second chapter describes the criticism of hooks on racism which exists in feminist movement. The white middle-class women were dominated in the second U.S. feminist movement, whose theories were usually very limited because of the influence of white supremacist and racist of the United States, and those theories also easily ignored the benefit needs of black women and other feminine groups which were on the edge of society. Hooks deeply analyzes and criticizes the problem of race lacking in the feminist movements and theories, and actively appeal to the feminism theories and practices without racialism and prejudice. She emphasizes the importance of alliances of sisters again, and points out that feminist movement should contain the different requirements of women in every race, nation and class. To change the capitalist patriarchy radically, we must connect race with gender consciousness and put them in feminist theory, and analyze politics, social and culture critically.The third chapter describes that hooks inherits the opinions of radicals feminism, which is a movement containing women of different race, class and nation, in order to eliminate all the dominations in human relations. Hooks criticizes sexism in feminist movements, and re-defines feminism and feminist movement as movement to end sexism oppression. Sexism not only exists in men's idea, but also in most women's idea, even in some feminists'. Hooks regards men as comrades rather than enemies of feminism, and defines feminist movement as the end of sexism oppression, which to make every participant to have a critical consciousness, in order to deracinate this dominate ideology in western society and culture.The fourth chapter summarizes the black feminism theory of hooks and evaluates the historical status, meaning and impact of her theory. Her feminism theory has its positive side which touches the neglected aspects in feminist movement and suspects and challenges the traditional theories which are dominated by white middle-class women. Meantime, her theory absorbs every race, gender and class, enriches and expands the contents and limits of mainstream feminism theories. But her theory is not perfect, so it should be critically analyzed. We also should notice its shortcomings and deficiencies. Only in this way can we understand her theory better.The conclusion part of this paper refines and sublimates opinions, and rethinks the development of both sexes deeply. I hope that this paper can provide some references to the gender study in our country.