An understanding of the relationship that exists between different races is crucial in fostering empowerment in modern society. Critical aspects of the Black feminist thought tend to illustrate the power that women present on matters related to knowledge. The focus is also on African Americans, and most of them stand out as self-reliant individuals.
The main aspects under consideration are gender issues, class oppression, and confronting race, among other elements affecting lives. The oppressed should get acquainted with relevant knowledge to have better bargaining power when dealing with another key stakeholder in society. The jam present in Black feminists is the ability of both the social transformation on matters related to politics and the various economic institutions to have a positive impact in creating social change. It is apparent that the existence of new knowledge benefits all the dimensions regarding the change.
Dominance and resistance banks of knowledge in addressing critical aspects of social relations. Black women suffer from subordination since the whites have been using them to execute specific tasks, which merely benefit the latter. How individuals can bring a shift is still a factor to consider. Ideally, there is a need to place Black women’s experiences at the epicenter. Such an analysis makes it possible to achieve a fresh insight into matters related to epistemologies as well as the paradigms dealing with the comprehensive approach to feminism (Collins, 1993). There is a need to view both whites and blacks as human beings. That calls for a conceptual lens on matters related to race, class, and gender relations. Such an application creates possibilities and makes it possible to empower aspects related to Afrocentric feminist knowledge. The impact of such a stance in the community is numerous and will contribute to success on most occasions. Most Black Feminist stakeholder in different parts of the world holds the same opinion since the approach forms part of their experience, hence posting on how they view the world. Even though it is applicable, there is a need for a shift in such a view to present a positive impact on the lives of the future generation. Instances of globalization and diversity bring the need to embrace different personalities and realities in fostering success in different sectors.
The matrix of dominance
The dichotomous thinking that the Eurocentric, as well as masculine thought, present, is the main reason for the formation of the models of oppression. It is evident that a person can always be either black or white. However, it is not proper to discriminate based on race. The central question that people ask others is their origin (Collins, 1986). Ideally, that should not be the case, and the focus should be on the personality of individuals at any given instance. The main reasons for concern are categorization and quantification (Collins, 1993). People tend to rank others, and that is the leading cause of racial discrimination in various parts of the world. To be sure of such claims, it is imperative to have two groups of individuals, with one side representing the privileges and the other showing all the aspects of denigrated demands. It also defines opportunity based on its relation to others.
The ability to replace the additive models of oppression with the ones of interlocking ones brings the possibilities of new paradigms, which is equally important in producing a different face on gender issues. Having a change in the manner in which individuals think has a positive contribution on matters related to race, gender as well as a class since it will offer a paradigmatic shift in the manner in which people think about the oppressors since there is an inclusive approach to the lives of stakeholders in most occasions. African-American women mostly get affected by matters related to race, class as well as gender, and the ability to address the concerns in society will have a positive impact on their lives. It is evident that the aspect never stands alone and values critical elements such as economic, political, and ideological conditions revolving around the issue of oppression (Collins, 1986). The impact of such elements has a broader negative impact and affects many groups, including Black women, in contemporary society. Some other individuals also face some challenges while interacting in different spaces. Some of them include the Jews, gays, and lesbians, as well as the poor white women. The ideology that these groups share also brings their subordination. Humans should not label others since they equate them to animals and nature.
The ability to have African Women in the center, as well as other vulnerable groups, is such a great move since it opens some possibilities. The positive implications due to such an improvement are the main reason for the better relationship that exists in contemporary society. Due to such a move, it is possible to penalize whites based on their gender. However, race gives them some privileges. An individual, in most instances, can be part of three different groups (Collins, 1986). The first one is the oppressor. Moreover, there is the possibility of being part of an oppressor group. There is also the possibility of being a member of the two groups simultaneously.
Most people might have the idea that interchanging race, class, as well as gender oppression is possible. That is still an uphill task, even with the adherence to the conceptual stance that exists on most occasions. In any given instance, gender oppression stands out due to the possibility of annexing some fundamental aspects related to the power of the erotic as well as intruding personalities. Racial oppression is currently a big issue affecting concrete communities in various parts where the African-Americans, as well as other ethnic communities, originate. Due to globalization, cities continue to stimulate cultural resistance in different parts of the world, an instance that makes it possible to have a positive impact on the lives of individuals in different parts of the world. It is evident that such communities continue to segregate blacks from whites. In the same instance, there is the counter-institutional buffer present among the African-Americans, and that mostly gives rise to the aspect of resistance that provides a leeway on the institutions of dominant groups. In the same line, there is the possibility of structuring the social class. The approach mostly conceptualizes the level of relationship that exists between employees and their employers. A better view of social class involves the relationships between communities. Such a relationship should also be compared with capitalist political economies. Additionally, there is a high relationship with the level of overlap that mostly involves racial as well as social class oppression. In most instances, it is possible to have such a paradigm through the lens of the family as well as the community (Collins, 1986). It is evident that community structures exist, which are equally essential in providing the best lines on matters related to resistance. Still, it is evident that gender cross covers a broader spectrum of issues related to such structures, making it possible to obtain comparable institutional bases. That is such an important move that helps in fostering resistance at different levels.
Again, there is a need to have a clear distinction of conceptual stance since it makes it possible to move from the additive approach and brings a clear difference between the various systems approaches that every oppressor utilizes to make their threats a reality. That is also the main cause of dominance in social relations (Collins, 2002). The level of dominance depends on three aspects, namely, race, gender, and sex. It is evident that some other groups can also face specific challenges, among them include religious matters, sex orientation as well as issues related to age, among other aspects. Still, a matter to consider on most occasions remains the overarching relationship as well as the type of activism that comes out of the process. According to Bell Hooks, the matrix that exists has a close relationship with political dominance, and various authorities have a hand in supporting the cause. The dominance articulates matters related to inferiority as well as superiority, and that stands out as a component of most political systems. According to Johnella, there is a shift in how people understand dominance in contemporary society, and the shift makes it possible to create a new environment with opportunities to improve the lives of African-American women. The ability to explore matters related to Black feminism is such a significant move and makes it possible to understand all the challenges that individuals face in shaping different paradigms in society. Such an improvement will not only improve relationships but also the lives of women in various parts of the world.
Subjugated knowledge
Imagine a life revolving around the personal interior cage. What does such an experience look like? People are bound by society, and that dictates some aspects related to their lives. Dramatic writing is demanding and requires the author to focus much on the specifics. His approach should also place much emphasis on the truth. The ability to negotiate competing knowledge, claims, and identities is the main justification for truth, and it should apply to various paradigms (Collins, 2002). The context matters in most instances, and the knowledge base for African-American women is embedded in various knowledge bases related to the communities where such women exist. The knowledge base also banks on matters related to dominance in creating a broader understanding of the spectrum. Knowledge is such an important tool that Black women found useful in fighting against the level of dominance. In such an instance, it is possible to relate well to others in society and lead a productive life.
In concussion, it is evident that Black women can present only one angle of vision. That occurs despite the potential power to have a positive impact on matters related to the matrix of dominance. It is evident that the house of dominance presents some groups, and each of them has a diverse experience as well as a penalty. Moreover, the various privileges denote the knowledge base, which is also an essential move in fostering relationships among different entities. The groups, however, lack clarity on matters related to vision, as well as the right methodology to present the truth. Through dominance, it is possible for one group to suppress knowledge and make it hard for the oppressed to rise above the realm. That is the leading cause of stagnation in various parts of the developing nations. As a consequence, the truth remains subjective, with the need to vest more in improving the lives of African-American women in various parts of the world.
References
Collins, P. H. (1986). Learning from the outsider within: The sociological significance of Black feminist thought. Social problems, 33(6), s14-s32.
Collins, P. H. (1993). Black feminist thought in the matrix of domination. Social theory: The multicultural and classic readings, 615-625.
Collins, P. H. (2002). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. Routledge.
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