BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT KNOWLEDGE CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE POLITICS OF EMPOWERMENT

IN SPITE OF THE DOUBLE BURDEN OF RACIAL AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION, AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE DEVELOPED A RICH INTELLECTUAL TRADITION THAT IS NOT WIDELY KNOWN. IN "BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT," ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1990, PATRICIA HILL COLLINS SETS OUT TO EXPLORE THE WORDS AND IDEAS OF BLACK FEMINIST INTELLECTUALS AND WRITERS, BOTH WITHIN THE ACADEMY AND WITHOUT. HERE COLLINS PROVIDES AN INTERPRETIVE FRAMEWORK FOR THE WORK OF SUCH PROMINENT BLACK FEMINIST THINKERS AS ANGELA DAVIS, BELL HOOKS, ALICE WALKER, AND AUDRE LORDE. DRAWING FROM FICTION, POETRY, MUSIC AND ORAL HISTORY, THE RESULT IS A SUPERBLY CRAFTED AND REVOLUTIONARY BOOK THAT PROVIDED THE FIRST SYNTHETIC OVERVIEW OF BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT AND ITS CANON.