Aditi Sharif :

Being an anthropology student who had a genuine interest in Gender Studies, I was familiar with the dominant schools in Feminism. However, I barely had the chance to hear about this particular school of thought. This is partly because of my lack of knowledge or neglectful attitude towards this approach. My first encounter with the very word “Black Feminism” validates both claims. I shared my interest in Feminist thoughts with one of my beloved acquaintances and she said to me, “Feminism! That’s what you girls do nowadays. But don’t you dare to specialize in Black Feminism! This is nothing but erotic lesbianism.” 

Can we simply equate Black Feminism with Eroticism and Lesbianism? Let’s explore with a simplified overview of   Black Feminism.  

Black Feminism can be generally defined as ‘a political and social movement that emphasizes the multi-dimensional aspects of the subjugation of Black women’ (Weida, 2023).   The two  main characteristics that make Black Feminism distinct from Mainstream Feminism are; 

• It aims to explore the multiple forms of injustice from the everyday experiences of Black Women.
• An emphasis on Intersectionality [ an interaction between different forms of oppression] (Weida, 2023)

Intersectionality is one of the most prominent features in Black Feminist thought.   In her famous essay ‘Demarginalizing the Intersection between Race and Sex; A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine’-1989, Black legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw first introduced the term to describe the way how different forms of oppression are experienced by drawing an analogy with the intersection with traffic (Smith, 2013).   

However, the idea of intersectionality was echoed a long ago in the works of other Black Feminists. Among those,  the famous speech of Sojourner Truth,  ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ was considered the first one. Drawing attention to the difference in treatment that White privileged women and Black labor-class women received, she asked that phenomenal question if Black women aren’t women. It was the time when the Women’s Suffrage movement was in progress to claim women’s right to vote. Shockingly, the proponents of the Suffrage movement wanted to silence the voice of Truth as they feared that people’s attention would be diverted by her statement (Weida, 2023). 

At that time, several Afro-American Feminists including  Frances E.W. Harper, Mary Eliza Church Terell, and Ida B. Welles -Barnett established The ‘National Association of Coloured Women to preserve the rights of colored women. However, little deliberate effort has been made to address issues like Racism and Sexism. 

In the mid-20th century,  it was apparent that Black women were still facing isolation, and marginalization in Feminist and other right-based movements. At that time, Feminist scholar  Bell Hooks urged for inclusive Feminism where women from diverse backgrounds could participate by focusing on women’s experiences while Black feminist poet Audre Lord described the agony of Black women through her aesthetic and artistic expressions. On the other hand, Patricia Hill Collins developed the notion of intersectionality by adding the concept of the ‘Matrix of domination’ to it. By ‘Matrix of Domination’,  she refers to the ways how the multiple forms of oppression are organized (Smith, 2013).

Through the struggles of Black Feminists, the third wave of Feminism marks an inclusive space, where women belonging to underprivileged backgrounds, can raise their voices. Nevertheless, Black Feminism occupies a marginal place in Feminism (Smith, 2013). 

Blackness is often associated with negative attributes in the worldwide. Bangladesh is no exception. Though Bangladeshi people tend to have the possibility of being victims of Racism due to their skin color, they do have some problematic stereotypes about Blacks, especially Black women. Misperceptions regarding Black Feminism are possibly part of these types of mentality (Fanon, 1952).

Despite all these spites and stereotypes, can we ignore the fact that Black Feminism has created an autonomous space where the voices of women coming from different backgrounds can be heard without any hesitation? Shouldn’t we follow Black Feminists to some extent to protect the rights of women who are victims of Marginality?  I guess, the answer will be yes in both cases. 

References

Fanon, F. (1952). Black Skin, White Masks . France: Editions du Seuil .

Smith, S. (2013). Black feminism and Intersectionality. International Socialist Review(91).

Weida, K. (2023, December 12). Black Feminism . Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Britanica : https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-feminism

 

  

 Biography:

Aditi Sharif is an Anthropologist, currently researching Gender Studies, Mental Health, and, Migration . Currently she is a volunteer of Women Chapter English.