I discovered Bone Black during my PhD, which focused on the media representation and experiences of Black women in Britain. With this in mind I write this short essay, as a Black (and mixed) woman, about the beauty and insight to be found in hooks’ memory-infused book Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood (1997) as well as Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (1982) by Audre Lorde.
During my time as an undergraduate student, the necessary words of Black feminist scholars and critical thinkers, such as hooks, seemed frustratingly absent. As I read hooks’ engaging analysis of media and consumer culture, I thought to myself “I never knew that academic writing could be like this!”.Īmongst the extensive list of hooks’ books are, Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981), Black Looks: Race and Representation (1992), Reel to Real: Race, Sex and Class at the Movies (1996), and Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (1994). I found such excitement in reading a distinctly Black feminist voice that is rarely found in university curricula. I will always remember when I first came across the writings of hooks. It may have represented their entry into Black feminist media and cultural critique, or the starting point of their understanding of the intersections of sexism and racism. For some, the work of bell hooks needs no introduction.
0 kommentar(er)
