In Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, bell hooks initiates a paradigm shift by demanding a feminism that acknowledges and centers the realities of those historically excluded from mainstream discourse—specifically poor, Black, queer, and working-class women—thus dismantling the illusion of a universal womanhood. Published in 1984, this seminal work critiques the white, middle-class focus of second-wave feminism and asserts that any meaningful theory of liberation must confront the intersections of race, class, gender, and imperialism. Hooks critiques foundational texts like Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique for their narrow scope, revealing how dominant feminist narratives often erase the structural violence experienced by marginalized women. Through her concept of white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy, hooks exposes the systemic entanglement of oppression and the need for a radically inclusive feminist praxis rooted in collective transformation rather than mere integration into a corrupt system. Rather than advocating for equality within oppressive frameworks, she envisions a complete reimagining of social institutions grounded in solidarity, peace, and justice. The text challenges readers to see feminism not as a fixed identity but as a political commitment to dismantling hierarchical power in all its forms. By relocating theory from elite academic spaces to the lived experiences of the oppressed, hooks models a feminism of praxis, where critical thought and revolutionary love intersect. Her call to revolution, grounded in hope and struggle, continues to resonate, reminding us that the center can only be redefined by those who have long been silenced at its margins.
intersectionality, radical feminism, systemic oppression, white-supremacist-capitalist-patriarchy, inclusivity, decolonial critique, social transformation, gender and race, feminist solidarity, marginalized voices, transformative praxis, structural inequality, political revolution, critical pedagogy, bell hooks
