Patricia Hill Collins
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Patricia Hill Collins (born May 1, 1948) is an American academic specializing in race, class, and gender. She is a distinguished university professor of sociology emerita at the
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
. She is also the former head of the Department of African-American Studies at the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...
, and a past president of the
American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...
(ASA). Collins was the 100th president of the ASA and the first African-American woman to hold this position. Collins's work primarily concerns issues involving race, gender, and social inequality within the African-American community. She gained national attention for her book ''
Black Feminist Thought ''Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment'' is a 1990 book by Patricia Hill Collins. Defining Black Feminist Thought Black feminist thought is a field of knowledge that is focused on the perspectives an ...
'', originally published in 1990.Collins, Patricia. 2000. ''Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment''. Routledge.


Family background

Patricia Hill Collins was born on May 1, 1948, in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. She grew up an only child in a predominately Black, working-class neighborhood. Both of Collins’ parents worked. Her father, Albert Hill, was a factory worker and a
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
veteran. Her mother, Eunice Hill, was a secretary. Her parents met in
Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...
. Since both of Collins’ parents worked, she began attending daycare at two and a half years old. Collins’ love for reading and education came from her mother. Eunice Hill had always wanted to be an English teacher, so she attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. Due to high tuition, Eunice was not able to graduate from Howard University. Despite her inability to complete this dream, Eunice continued to make sure that Collins was exposed to literature at a young age by teaching her to read and introducing her to the public library.Gianoulis, Tina. "Collins, Patricia Hill." ''Contemporary Black Biography'', edited by Paula Kepos and Derek Jacques, vol. 67, Gale, 2008, pp. 24-27. ''Gale eBooks'', link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3027700015/GVRL?u=mlin_c_collhc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=81451dd0. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.


Early life

As a child, Collins found herself feeling safe and secure in her neighborhood. As she played in the streets with her friends freely, she trusted the safety of her observant community. She would spend time outside roller skating and jumping double Dutch rope on her block with her friends. Additionally, Collins is a musician; as a child, she and her friends enjoyed making and singing music together. She can play the trumpet, piano, and organ. While in high school Collins worked at her church playing the organ.


Education

Collins attended Philadelphia public schools —and even at a young age, Collins had realized that she attended a school that catered to mostly white middle-class students that were in a predominantly Black neighborhood. During the 1950s and 1960s, when Patricia was going to school, most schools in northern cities like Philadelphia were channels for social mobility. Although they were well funded, they were not particularly easy to navigate, especially for African-Americans and people of color like Patricia. However, Patricia was part of a group of young workers who had access to educational resources and opportunities their parents did not.


Elementary School and High School

As a child, Collins attended Frederick Douglas Elementary School. Later, she attended
Philadelphia High School for Girls The Philadelphia High School for Girls, also known as Girls' High, is a public college preparatory magnet high school for girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As its name suggests, the school's enrollment is all female. Established in 1848, it ...
(known as Girls' High), which was founded in 1848 as the nation's first public high school for women. Collins had the unique experience of attending Girls' High during the 1960s, which was when the process of the desegregation of schools had begun in the United States. This contributed to her growing interest in
sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
,
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
, and
activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
for African-Americans and civil rights.


College Education and Career

In 1965, Collins went on to pursue an undergraduate career at
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...
in
Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...
as a sociology major. She graduated cum laude with honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1969. She proceeded to earn a Master of Arts degree in Teaching (MAT) in Social Science Education from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
in 1970. From 1970 to 1976, she was a teacher and curriculum specialist at St. Joseph Community School in
Roxbury, Boston Roxbury () is a neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city states that Roxbury ser ...
, among two others. From 1976-1980 she went on to become the director of the Africana Center at
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
. Tufts University is a predominately white school, as such Collins worked to bring the academia, ideas, and culture of the Black community to the campus. Additionally, she had aimed to bring attention to issues surrounding black women. In 1984, she completed her doctorate in sociology at Brandeis University. While earning her Ph.D., Collins worked as an assistant professor at the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...
beginning in 1982. She taught in the Department of Africana Studies for over two decades and retired in 2005 as the Charles Phelps Taft Distinguished Professor of Sociology. In 1986, Collins published her first major article in the sociological journal ''Social Problems''. Collins’ article “Learning From the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought” put her on the map as an important sociologist and social theorist. The article, published four years before her first book, focuses on how Black women have taken their marginalized placement and benefited from society’s harmful status quo. Black women have been able to creatively fight against the status quo. In 1990, Collins published her first book, ''Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment''. A revised 10th-anniversary edition of the book was published in 2000 and subsequently translated into Korean in 2009, French in 2016, and Portuguese in 2019. In 2005, Collins joined the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
's department of sociology as a distinguished university professor. Working closely with graduate students on issues such as
critical race theory Critical race theory (CRT) is a cross-disciplinary examination, by social and civil-rights scholars and activists, of how laws, social and political movements, and media shape, and are shaped by, social conceptions of race and ethnicity. Goa ...
, intersectionality, and
feminist theory Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or philosophical discourse. It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women's and men's social roles, experiences, interests, chores, and femin ...
, she maintains an active research agenda and continues to write books and articles in relation to social, racial, and gender issues. Her current work has transcended the borders of the United States, in keeping with the recognition within a sociological globalized social system. Collins is focused on understanding, in her own words, "How African American male and female youth's experiences with social issues of education, unemployment, popular culture and political activism articulate with global phenomena, specifically, complex social inequalities, global capitalist development, transnationalism, and political activism."


''Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment''

In 1990, Collins published '' Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment'', which looked at the title topic through such figures as
Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...
,
Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awa ...
and
Audre Lorde Audre Lorde (; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," wh ...
. The analysis incorporated a wide range of sources, including fiction, poetry, music, and oral history. This book is the first book to incorporate the literature of and by African-American women. Collins's work concluded with three central claims: *Oppressions of race, class, gender, sexuality, and nation are intersecting, mutually constructing systems of power. Collins utilizes the term ''
intersectionality Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of adva ...
'', coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, to refer to this simultaneous overlapping of multiple forms of oppression as a matrix of domination. *Because black women have unique histories at the intersections of systems of power, they have created world views out of a need for self-definition and to work on behalf of social justice. Black women's specific experiences with intersecting systems of oppression provide a window into these same processes for other individuals and social groups. *Black feminist thought on race and gender came from Black communities rather than in opposition to white feminism. In ''Black Feminist Thought'', Collins posits how
Black feminist Black feminism is a philosophy that centers on the idea that "Black women are inherently valuable, that lack women'sliberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else's but because our need as human persons for autonomy." Race, gen ...
studies made of Black women's works highlight two very important themes. One is "how Black women's paid work is organized within intersecting oppressions of race, class, and gender." Although these women no longer work in domestic work in private homes, they continue to work at low-paying jobs in the growing service sector. Moreover, she continues, the theme that "concerns how Black women's unpaid family labor is simultaneously confining and empowering" for them is also extremely important. Collins emphasizes this point because she points out that Black women see the unpaid work of their household as a method of resistance to oppression rather than solely as a method of manipulation by men. In an interview wit
''Global Dialogue''
magazine in 2017, Collins reiterated the unique forces against black women that she laid out in ''Black Feminist Thought'' by emphasizing the stereotypes that they face: "In Black Feminist Thought, I examine how African-American women confront four main stereotypes: (1) the mule, the woman who works like an animal without complaint; (2) the jezebel, the highly sexualized woman who is often depicted as a prostitute; (3) the mammy, the Black woman domestic worker whose loyalty to her employer is beyond reproach; and (4) the Black lady, the educated Black woman who has given up family life in exchange for a career". In a separate interview with Oklahoma's KGOU radio station in 2017, Collins' spoke on her careful process while writing the book: "I think it was very difficult for me to come to voice around the types of work that I do because there was no space for this work,” Collins says. “We had to create the space to write black feminist thought, to talk about race, class, gender, to talk about intersectionality. And that was all part of the process of being seen as legitimate, being listened to, being clear, being respected"


''Race, Class and Gender: An Anthology''

Published in 1992, ''Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology'' was a collaboration with Margaret Andersen, in which Collins edited a compilation of essays on race, class, and gender. The book is widely recognized for shaping the field of race, class, and gender studies, as well as its related concept of intersectionality. The essays cover a variety of topics, from historical trends and their lasting effects today, to the current media portrayal of minority groups. The tenth edition was published in 2020.


''Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search for Justice''

Collins published a third book ''Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search for Justice'' in 1998. ''Fighting Words'' focused on how Black women's knowledge examines social injustices within Black communities and wider society. Expanding on the idea of "outsiders within" from her previous book, she examines how outsiders resist the majority's perspective, while simultaneously pushing for and creating new insight into the social injustices that exist. Collins also notes how acknowledging the social theories of oppressed groups are important because their different experiences have created new angles of looking at human rights and injustice. This has not always been the case because, as she points out, "elites possess the power to legitimate the knowledge that they define as theory as being universal, normative, and ideal". '


''Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism''

Collins's next book, '' Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism'', was published in 2004 and won the Distinguished Scholarly Book Award from the American Sociological Association. This work argued that racism and heterosexism were intertwined in multiple areas of life. For example, how ideals of beauty work to oppress African-Americans males and females, whether homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual. Collins asserts that people must examine the intersection of race, class, gender, and sexuality because looking at each issue separately can cause one to miss a large part of the problem. Her argument for resisting the creation of such narrow gender roles requires action on individual and community levels as well as recognizing success in areas other than those typically respected by Americans, such as money or beauty. Collins also contends that the oppression of African Americans cannot be successfully resisted without analyzing how intersecting oppressions influence their own group, such as the treatment of women or LGBTQ people.


'' From Black Power to Hip Hop: Racism, Nationalism, and Feminism''

In 2006 she published '' From Black Power to Hip Hop: Racism, Nationalism, and Feminism,'' which examines the relationship between
black nationalism Black nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that black people are a race, and which seeks to develop and maintain a black racial and national identity. Black nationalist activism revolves aro ...
, feminism and women in the hip-hop generation. The book is a compilation of multiple essays by her, written over multiple years, compiled into one cohesive examination of the current situation of African Americans. Collins examines contemporary structural racism, which she calls "new racism," and explores how old ideas about what racism is prevents society from recognizing and fixing the wrongdoings that persist. The author explores a range of examples, from American national identity, to motherhood, to feminine portrayal in hip-hop. Following the
Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
, she argues, there was a "shift from color-conscious racism that relied on strict racial segregation to a seemingly colorblind racism that promised equal opportunities yet provided no lasting avenues for African American advancement".


''Another Kind of Public Education: Race, Schools, the Media and Democratic Possibilities''

In 2009, Collins published ''Another Kind of Public Education: Race, Schools, the Media and Democratic Possibilities,'' in which she encourages the public to be more aware of and prevent the institutional discrimination that African-American children are experiencing today in the public education system. Collins explains that teachers have a great deal of power to be the facilitators of either discriminatory attitudes or tolerant attitudes; they are the "frontline actors negotiating the social issues of our time." Claiming that the education system is greatly influenced by the media, Collins examines racism as a system of power preventing education and democracy to reach its full potential.Collins, Patricia Hill, and Simmons College (2009). ''Another Kind of Public Education: Race, Schools, the Media and Democratic Possibilities''. Boston: Beacon Press. Within the text, she provides examples of how people, specifically teachers in the education system, can resist colorblind racism to ensure children are provided with safe classroom environments and where they can be guaranteed freedom of expression.Lewis, Amanda E. “Another Kind of Public Education: Race, Schools, the Media, and Democratic Possibilities.” ''Contemporary Sociology'', vol. 40, no. 6, Nov. 2011, pp. 702–704, doi:10.1177/0094306111425016m. One of the primary concerns in her book is the importance education has in producing citizens and making sure the disenfranchised feel empowered. Within the book, Collins includes personal stories about her position as an African American child who felt “silenced in Philadelphia’s public schools” in order to further elaborate on the important role the education institution has in establishing democracy.


Other Books

Collins co-edited with John Solomos ''The Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies'' (2010), a book on critical race theory. In 2012, she published ''On Intellectual Activism'', a collection of personal essays and interviews where she explains how ideas play an important part in bringing about social change. In 2016 and revised in 2020, Collins also published the book ''Intersectionality,'' with co-author Sirma Bilge, which discusses, in depth, the intertwined nature of social categorizations such as race, class and gender, sexuality and nation, and how these ideas create a complex web of discrimination and disadvantage in society. Taking a global perspective, topics covered include the history of intersectionality, critical education, human rights, violence, global social protest, identity politics, and women of color feminism in the United States and Brazil.


Career Honors

Collins is recognized as a social theorist, drawing from many intellectual traditions. She reconceptualizes the ideas of race, class, gender, sexuality and nationalism as interlocking systems of oppression. Her more than 40 articles and essays have been published in a wide range of fields, including philosophy, history, psychology, and most notably sociology. *Faculty of the Year Award at the University of Cincinnati (1991) *
C. Wright Mills Charles Wright Mills (August 28, 1916 – March 20, 1962) was an American sociologist, and a professor of sociology at Columbia University from 1946 until his death in 1962. Mills published widely in both popular and intellectual journals, and ...
Award for the first edition of ''Black Feminist Thought'' (1991) *Distinguished Publication Award by the Association for the Women in Psychology for ''Black Feminist Thought'' (1991) *Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize by the Association of Black Women Historians for ''Black Feminist Thought'' (1991) *Award for Outstanding Service to African-American Students at the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...
(1993) * Jessie Bernard Award by the
American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...
for significant scholarship in the area of Gender (1993) *Named The Charles Phelps Taft Professor of Sociology by the University of Cincinnati, making her the first-ever African American, and only the second woman, to hold this position (1996). *Emeritus Status from
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
, College Park (2005) *Distinguished University Professor from University of Maryland (2006) * American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholarly Book Award for her book ''Black Sexual Politics'' (2007) *Morris Rosenberg Award for Student Mentorship from the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
(2009) *Alumni Achievement Award from the
Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first Harvard scho ...
(2011) *Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize her contributions to racial and ethnic relations from
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...
(2012) *
Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...
.
Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...
. Pittsburgh, PA. 2014. *Doctor of Humane Letters.
College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...
. Wooster, OH. 2015. *
W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up i ...
Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award from
American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...
(2017)


Participation in American Sociological Association

In 2009, Patricia Hill Collins became the 100th president of the ASA (American Sociology Association) and the first African-American Woman in the position. Her work with the ASA began far earlier, however, one she was named an ASA Minority Fellow in the 1980’s. She spent two years as chair of the Minority Fellowship program from 1985-1988 and chair of the ASA Task Force from 1989-1993. This background with the association as well as an extensive catalog of books and academic articles positioned her perfectly to reach the association’s highest position. Her 2009 presidential address, "The New Politics of Community", arrived as an article in the American Sociological Review and asserts that community is a dynamic political construct that, containing a plethora of different and contradicting agendas, can be used to evaluate issues of race, sex, and gender. In her address, Collins describes how community can be used for social examination for a number of reasons *The commonality of the “language of community”, which, interchangeable with words like neighborhood, establishes community as a part of group identity *Communities are “malleable” and easy to research Hill Collins, Patricia. “The New Politics of Community.” American Sociological Review, vol. 75, no. 1, Feb. 2010, pp. 11, doi:10.1177/0003122410363293. *Communities can hold many differing agendas and thus “reflect diverse and conflicting social practices” *“the construct of community catalyzes strong, deep feelings that can move people to action,” Hill Collins, Patricia. “The New Politics of Community.” American Sociological Review, vol. 75, no. 1, Feb. 2010, pp. 12, doi:10.1177/0003122410363293. *“the construct of community is central to how people organize and experience social inequalities”.


Participation in Social Activism

On October 13, 2014, Patricia Hill Collins gave a lecture at
DePaul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...
in
Chicago, IL (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
titled, “Charting a New Course: Intersectionality and Black Activism" to a group of 182 university students as well as to other residents of Chicago. In the lecture, Collins discussed activism stereotypes as well as intersectionality and how to use intersectionality to challenge the oppression they may face. She also encouraged the audience to create coalitions and to participate in activism themselves. Additionally, Collins’ lecture allowed her audience to think critically about sociological thought and to figure out “what it means to strengthen one’s power through ideas.”"Award-winning sociologist Patricia Hill Collins hosts social activism lecture 'Charting a New Course'." ''UWIRE Text'', 1 Mar. 2016, p. 1. ''Gale Academic OneFile'', link.gale.com/apps/doc/A444758586/AONE?u=mlin_c_collhc&sid=ebsco&xid=2e998bbb. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022. During her lecture, Collins is quoted to have said the following to lines in her discussion on intersectionality and activism: "As we look at the world we realize that. . . the country is stronger when you take from the strengths of everyone," Collins said. “There are risks, but the rewards are substantial," Collins said.


Academic Responses

Collins' influential books on intersectionality and community have led way to many references and responses in sociological spheres. Notably, Professor Shannon Sullivan of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte penned "Community as a Political and Temporal Construct: A Response to Patricia Hill Collins" in ''The Pluralist''. In the article, Sullivan connected the four aspects of a politically constructed community as laid out by Collins with Philosophy Professor Alfred Frankowski. While Sullivan finds Collins' "hope that a political understanding of community could enable genuine change that is not part of a changing-same pattern" Sullivan, Shannon. “Community as a Political and Temporal Construct: A Response to Patricia Hill Collins.” The Pluralist, vol. 15, no. 1, niversity of Illinois Press, Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy 2020, pp. 83–89, https://doi.org/10.5406/pluralist.15.1.0083. to be admirable, she contrasts this with Frankowski's assertion that the memorialization of Anti-Black violence is necessary for white-dominated communities to keep racist agendas in the past. Sullivan ultimately finds that Frankowski's pragmatist philosophy is needed for White America to successfully evaluate the communities in which echo chambers fuel racial ignorance.


References in Other Academic Spheres

Patricia Hill Collins’ work has not only been referenced and referred to heavily in sociological circles, but her assertions on intersectionality and the black female experience have also been cited in literary analysis. In 2020, Parvin Ghasemi and Samira Heidari of the Molana Institute of Higher Education in Iran published “Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminine Identity in Toni Morrison’s ''Beloved''” in the
Journal of African American Studies The ''Journal of African American Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of African American studies. The journal is edited by Judson L. Jeffries (Ohio State University) and published quarterly by Sprin ...
. The article describes how ''Beloved’s'' main character, a mother and former slave in the post-slavery south, epitomizes and subsequently shatters Collins’ proposed matrix of domination: “In line with Collin’s philosophy, Morrison’s novel presents a reaction to matrix of domination. In fact, the multiplicity of experience that Collin refers to can be found in the novel through the fact that readers see simultaneously the experience of being a marginalized, a murderer, a mother, a people of color, a traumatic woman, and a former slave. All these aspects help the collective experience of race disentangle itself from the structural oppression and discrimination. Though Seth is a traumatic figure, this portrayal helps to expose the true picture of a discriminatory society that produces such failing characters.”


Representation of Media

In 2009, a video from the C-Span website title
"BookTV: Patricia Hill Collins, author "Another Kind of Public Education"
Collins takes a visit to "Busboys & Poets", a restaurant/bookstore/theater located in Washington DC and provided an hour and 16 minutes-long "book talk" regarding her book ''Another Kind of Public Education''. As the website describes the video: "Professor Collins posits that public education is heavily influenced by the media and by the continuing influence of institutional racism and she examines ways in which schools perpetuate racism and other forms of social inequality. Professor Collins also read passages from her book and responded to questions from members of the audience." In 2012, a video from the YouTube website title
"Dr. Patricia Hill Collins Delivers 2012 Graduate Commencement Address"
Collins gives the commencement address at Arcadia University on Thursday, May 17, 2012, when she received an honorary doctorate. She provides stories of her past from growing up in Philadelphia, her and her parents' struggles, and being in a school that predominately caters to middle-class white students. She also touches upon breaking her silence and how she came about using her voice as a critical instrument to make social change. In 2014, a video from the YouTube website title
"Patricia Hill Collins at Grand Valley State University February 2014"
Collins gives a talk to undergraduate students from
Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...
in which she expresses her concern of mainstream colorblindness, especially focusing on issues of racial profiling (regarding African Americans) egarding_Trayvon_Martin.html" ;"title="Trayvon_Martin.html" ;"title="egarding Trayvon Martin">egarding Trayvon Martin">Trayvon_Martin.html" ;"title="egarding Trayvon Martin">egarding Trayvon Martinand tackling other issues regarding race, sex, class, etc. Additionally, Collins reads mini excerpts from her book ''
Black Feminist Thought ''Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment'' is a 1990 book by Patricia Hill Collins. Defining Black Feminist Thought Black feminist thought is a field of knowledge that is focused on the perspectives an ...
''. The website description is: "On February 26, 2014,
Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...
's Office of Multicultural Affairs, Women's Center and LGBT Resource Center hosted Patricia Hill Collins as part of ongoing Intersections programming. Patricia Hill Collins presented "We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest: Lessons from Black Feminism." In 2015, a YouTube video title
"Patricia Hill Collins Keynote at 2015 Social Theory Forum @ UMass Boston"
Collins visits
University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Massa ...
and gives a presentation regarding the sociological theory mainly focusing on intersectionality's challenges and the critical inquiries. In 2016, Collins alongside
Patricia Williams Patricia J. Williams (born August 28, 1951) is an American legal scholar and a proponent of critical race theory, a school of legal thought that emphasizes race as a fundamental determinant of the American legal system. Early life Williams recei ...
,
Robin Morgan Robin Morgan (born January 29, 1941) is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key radical feminist member of the American Women's Movement, and a leader in the ...
,
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, Arwa Mahdawi, and Suzanne Moore were all asked the following panel question by The ''Guardian'' following the defeat of
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by
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in the 2016 United States Presidential election: “What does the US election result say about misogyny?” In her answer Collins exclaims, “I am disappointed but I will keep up the fight.” She discusses the sadness she feels for Clinton’s loss. Additionally, Collins brings one’s attention to the idea that to gain social change, Americans must remember they will deal with struggles. Collins leaves the reader on a positive note by saying she believes that America has made progress in being committed to  opportunity, equity, civility and fairness. However, she still sees a need to keep fighting to achieve a strong democracy. On November 21, 2018, a YouTube video title
"Intersectionality and Sociology- Professor Patricia Hill Collins."
Collins gives a keynote lecture at the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
during the university’s 50 Years of Sociology conference. In this lecture she is reflecting on her sociology career as well as “discussing critically the intersectional approach and alternative knowledge projects, and returning to the core question that motivates her work: What will it take for Black people to be free?”


Legacy

While race and its accompanying social hierarchies have remained fundamental facets of sociological study, intersectional analysis and the study of collective, oppressed identities are largely attributed to Patricia Hill Collins. In Professor Gurminder Bhambra's 2015 essay "Black Thought Matters: Patricia Hill Collins and the long tradition of African American sociology", Bhambra describes how Collins not only nurtured existing schools of African American sociology but pushed the field into a new direction. On Collins' 1990 book ''Black Feminine Thought'', Bhambra wrote: "It has been both a scholarly beacon for researchers working through shared ideas and experiences, and an intellectual grounding from which further critical work has been enabled and more voices brought into conversation. Its influence ranges across disciplinary and geographical boundaries and dismantles conventional hierarchies in the process"Bhambra, Gurminder K. “Black Thought Matters: Patricia Hill Collins and the Long Tradition of African American Sociology.” Ethnic & Racial Studies, vol. 38, no. 13, Oct. 2015, pp. 2315–2321. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/01419870.2015.1058497.


Selected bibliography


Books

*''Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory'', Durham: Duke University Press, , 2019 *(co-authored with Sirma Bilge)''Intersectionality'', Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, , 2016, 2020 *''On Intellectual Activism'', Philadelphia: Temple University Press, , 2012 *(co-edited with John Solomos) ''The SAGE Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies'', Los Angeles: London: SAGE, , 2010 *''Another Kind of Public Education: Race, the Media, Schools, and Democratic Possibilities'', Beacon Press, , 2009 *'' From Black Power to Hip Hop: Racism, Nationalism, and Feminism'', Temple University Press, , 2006 *'' Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism'', New York: Routledge, , 2005 *''Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search for Justice'', University of Minnesota Press, , 1998 *(co-edited with Margaret Andersen) ''Race, Class and Gender: An Anthology'', , 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2020 *'' Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment'', Routledge, , 1990, 2000


Book chapters

* *


Selected journal articles

* "Just Another American Story? The First Black First Family." in ''Qualitative Sociology'' 35 (2), 2012: 123–141. * "New Commodities, New Consumers: Selling Blackness in the Global Marketplace," in ''Ethnicities'' 6 (3), 2006: 297–317. * "Like One of the Family: Race, Ethnicity, and the Paradox of the US National Identity." in ''Ethnic and Racial Studies'' 24 (1), 2001: 3–28. * "The Tie that Binds: Race, Gender, and U.S. Violence." in ''Ethnic and Racial Studies'' 21 (5), 1998: 918–938. * "What's In a Name: Womanism, Black Feminism and Beyond" in ''Black Scholar'' 26 (1), 1996: 9–17. * "The Meaning of Motherhood in Black Culture and Black Mother/Daughter Relationships" in ''Sage: A Scholarly Journal on Black Woman'' 4 (2), 1987: 4–11. *"Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought" in ''Social Problems.'' 33 (6), 1986: 14–32.


See also

*


References


Footnotes


Works cited

*Gale Group, ''Contemporary Authors Online'', 2001 article on Patricia Hill Collins, published on ''Biography Resource Centre'', 2005. *''Feminist Authors'', St James Press, 1996, article on Patricia Hill Collins. Reproduced on ''Biography Resource Centre'', 2005. *"Patricia Hill Collins", ''World of Sociology'', 2 volumes, Gale Group, 2001. Reproduced on ''Biography Resource Centre'', 2005. *"Patricia Hill Collins", ''Directory of American Scholars'' 10th edition, Gale Group, 2001. *"Dr Patricia Hill Collins, ''Who's Who Among African-Americans'' 18th edition, Gale Group, 2005. *Tonya Bolden, "Review of Black Feminist Thought", in ''Black Enterprise'', July 1992, v22, n12, p. 12(1). *Tamala M. Edwards, "The F Word", ''Essence'', May 1999, volume 30, issue 1, p. 90. *Katherine C. Adams, review of ''Black Sexual Politics'', ''Library Journal'' April 1, 2004, v129 i6, p. 111. *Charles Lemert, "Social Theory", ''The Multicultural and Classic Readings'' 4th Edition Westview Press, 2010. *James Farganis, ''Readings in Social Theory: The Classic Tradition to Post-Modernism''. 7th ed. *Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge, ''Intersectionality'', 2016.


External links


University of Maryland profileAmerican Sociological Association profile''From Black Power to Hip Hop'' (review)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Patricia Hill 1948 births 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American philosophers 21st-century American women writers African-American feminists African-American philosophers Black studies scholars American feminist writers American sociologists American women academics American women philosophers Brandeis University alumni Critical race theory Critical theorists Feminist philosophers Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Living people Postmodern feminists Poststructuralists Tufts University faculty University of Cincinnati faculty University of Maryland, College Park faculty University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social Sciences people American women sociologists Presidents of the American Sociological Association