Sociology – Feminist Theory

Feminist Theory

 Hooks and Smith address the feminist theory from a critical viewpoint.
 From both articles, “Black Women: Shaping Feminist Theory” and “Women's
Standpoint”, it is clear that women of the United States experienced various types of
victimization.
 Sexist oppression, harassment, violence, and daily beatings are some of the challenges
that women experience up to date.
 Majority of women do not speak out whenever faced with such suffering. They just
accept the situation without protest, questioning or even collective anger.
 Smith describes women’s standpoint from the perspective of ruling.
 Before were in a position to reclaim their freedom, they were only allowed to attend
home chores whereby they would stay in homes with children and their daily work.
 Education has enlightened women to defend their position and fight for equal rights as
men. Reasoning, attention, and response have been organized in a way that women
rediscovered their role in the society.
 Hooks describes how educated women are a perfect reference to gauge the impacts of
feminism. After realizing the purpose of feminism, education enables women to be vocal
and change the society’s perspective on them.
 Hook’s reading has a positive implication for a notion of women’s standpoint. He states
that suffering is not indeed a fixed and worldwide experience that should be tolerated by
society.
 Pain is related to different situations, aspirations, and needs, but it only requires a positive
mind and action to mitigate harm.

FEMINIST THEORY 3
 Historical and political parameters are necessary to prioritize different types of suffering
that need attention.
 Hooks implies that women’s standpoint needs emphasis on a “common oppression”. For
women to be vocal in the society, they need to come out in masses and claim to live in
synonymous oppression so that the ‘change vocabulary’ can be more effective.