What does Collins mean when she describes Black feminist thought as…

What does Collins mean when she describes Black feminist thought as…

What does Collins mean when she describes Black feminist thought as “subjugated knowledge”?

• Collins argues that particular criteria of positivism—an epistemological approach that upholds the scientific method—are especially problematic for black feminist thought. Identify these criteria and describe how it leads to the oppression of alternative knowledge.
• Collins is perhaps best known for her concept of “intersectionality” in which multiple systems of oppression, or what Collins calls the matrix of domination, overlap to create systematic inequality that each of us faces in our own unique way. Draw upon your own lived experience to describe a concrete situation in which you found yourself at the center of a matrix of domination, either as a victim or as an oppressor.

The section ends however, with a theoretical work by Zygmunt Bauman which highlights that some aspects of modernity have not changed, with potentially catastrophic results. Ponder the following questions as you move though the reading. Be sure to review the recommended resources listed above for additional materials related to this discussion.

Answer the following:

• Explain at least three (3) “dark sides” of modernity presented in the introductory essay.
• According to Bauman, why is it important not to relegate the analysis of the Holocaust to academic interest? Why do we need to ensure that we acknowledge that there is a continuing potential for genocide in society?
• In this excerpt, Bauman says, “People refused to believe the facts they stared at.” Can you think of a situation where you realized – after the fact – that the facts had been there all along?
• Bauman is asking us to face the possibility of another Holocaust-like tragedy happening in contemporary Western Civilization. When you consider that possibility, what kinds of thoughts do you have? If you think it is unlikely, why? If you think it is likely, why?
• Rather than see the Holocaust as an aberration, Bauman argues that the social norms and institutions of modernity helped facilitate the Holocaust. What does he mean by this?