Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment is work of nonfiction by Patricia Hill Collins, a distinguished sociologist specializing in the intersection of race, class, and gender in American society. Originally published in 1990, the book explores the rich intellectual tradition of Black feminist intellectuals and writers inside and outside academia. Drawing on academic writing, fiction, poetry, oral history, and music, Collins provides a broad overview of Black feminist thinking as it relates to the experiences of Black women in the past and present. The book received the C. Wright Mills Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems in 1990 and the Jessie Bernard Award from the American Sociological Association in 1993. A foundational text in the field of Black feminism, the book not only draws attention to the ways in which race, gender, class, sexuality, and nation intersect to oppress Black women, but also addresses Black women’s varied and at times creative responses to this oppression.

This guide refers to the Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition published in 2000 by Routledge.

Content Warning: The source material contains discussions of racism, sexism, classism, anti-gay bias, and sexual violence.

Summary

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment consists of 12 chapters organized in three parts.