Could you describe that process?īH: One of the issues that I continually write about is that the words we use to define political positions-whether we talk about being on the left or being feminist-do not mean that people may not have arrived at positions of resistance that could be clearly described by that language before they come to that language. SEP: Could you describe some of the influences on your own politicization? In your writing you have focused very much on your development as a woman, as a writer, and as a critic and political thinker.

SEP: What do you think has contributed to that change?īH: The institutionalization of Black Studies, Feminist Studies, all of these things led to a sense that the struggle was over for a lot of people and that one did not have to continue the personal consciousness-raising and changing of one's viewpoint. So, it really offered a kind of overall support for coming to consciousness, whereas what so frequently happens now in academic settings is that people feel much more that they don't have this kind of collective support. Women were organizing in the dorms, women were resisting biased curriculum, all of those things. For example, when I was coming to feminist consciousness-as one aspect of my political consciousness-at Stanford University, there was a tremendous buzz about feminism throughout the campus. What differences do you see in the political and cultural climate that young progressive activists face today, compared to when you were formulating your own politics?īELL HOOKS: One of the major differences I see in the political climate today is that there is less collective support for coming to critical consciousness-in communities, in institutions, among friends. SOUTH END PRESS: Your work on radical black feminism has been an inspiration for many young feminists of color, and you yourself were in your early 20s when you wrote your first book, Ain't I a Woman. The dialogue is an imagined conversation between.An Interview with bell hooks, author of Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics With 2-3 other students, create a short dialogue to be performed in front of the class. The dialogue is an imagined conversation between early feminists (like Betty Friedan, for example) and should bring to light some of the issues they were concerned with, e.g. Make photocopies and distribute to the class for a candid discussion.

Look for articles on feminism, race, and class.

Write an accompanying explanation of the images you have used, why you chose them, and what they symbolize. Use magazines, found objects, photographs, and other memorabilia. Create a collage that expresses your own personal definition of feminism.

Feminist theory from margin to center