Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought

Abstract

Black women have long occupied marginal positions in academic settings. I argue that many Black female intellectuals have made creative use of their marginality—their “outsider within” status–to produce Black feminist thought that reflects a special standpoint on self, family, and society. I describe and explore the sociological significance of three characteristic themes in such thought: (1) Black women's self-definition and self-valuation; (2) the interlocking nature of oppression; and (3) the importance of Afro-American women's culture. After considering how Black women might draw upon these key themes as outsiders within to generate a distinctive standpoint on existing sociological paradigms, I conclude by suggesting that other sociologists would also benefit by placing greater trust in the creative potential of their own personal and cultural biographies.

Cite this

Patrícia Hill Collins (1986). Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought. Social Problems. https://doi.org/10.2307/800672

@article{hill1986learning,
  title  = {Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought},
  author = {Collins, Patrícia Hill},
  year   = {1986},
  journal = {Social Problems},
  doi    = {10.2307/800672}
}

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