Feminism Both Bell Hooks and Cherrie Moraga

Feminism

Both Bell Hooks and Cherrie Moraga point out weaknesses and omissions in feminist theory in their respective articles, "Black Women Shaping Feminist Theory," and "La Guerra." Each feels that mainstream feminist discourse neglects to address certain groups of women, especially women of color and for Moraga, lesbians as well. Hooks' premise is that "White women who dominate feminist discourse ... have little or no understanding of white supremacy as a racial politic, of the psychological impact of class, of their political status within a racist, sexist, capitalist state." Similarly, Moraga states, "Within the women's movement, the connections among women of different backgrounds and sexual orientations have been fragile at best," (30). In their critiques, Hooks and Moraga both use the language of the oppressed, linking feminism with the empowerment of all disenfranchised groups. The authors' vision of feminism as an inclusive doctrine that applies to women of all backgrounds, classes, and sexual orientations provides poignant criticism of white-dominated and academic feminist discourse.

Both women speak in first-person perspective, reflecting on their own experiences of oppression and their hopes for the future of feminism and liberation. Hooks notes, for example, "When I participated in feminist groups, I found that white women adopted a condescending attitude towards me and other non-white participants." She provides numerous other examples and anecdotes attesting to the neglect of women of color from feminist discourse. Likewise, Moraga too speaks from personal experience. "When I finally lifted the lid to my lesbianism, a profound connection with my mother reawakened in me," (28). Just as Moraga links her reconnection with her Chicano roots to her sexual orientation, so too does Hooks link race and class. Both women, though they refer to different types of oppression and speak from different experiences as members of oppressed groups of people, find such connections meaningful. Both Hooks and Moraga propose that all women of color examine the means by which they have been oppressed and discover new means of empowerment.

However, Hooks' piece is longer and even harsher than Moraga's: Hooks, for instance, notes that Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, however influential the book was, is written primarily from a white leisure class perspective. She states that Friedan had a "one-dimensional perspective," and women like Friedan were unaware "of the extent to which their perspectives reflect race and class biases." Moraga, on the other hand, offers a broader social commentary about the exclusion of oppressed groups of women. Her attack on racism and classism in relation to feminism is more general. For example, she states on page 29, "Without an emotional, heartfelt grappling with the source of our own oppression, without naming the enemy within ourselves and outside us, no authentic, hierarchical connection among oppressed groups can take place."