bell hooks

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For the mixtape, see bell hooks (mixtape).
bell hooks
bell hooks in October 2014
Born Gloria Jean Watkins

September 25, 1952

Hopkinsville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died December 15, 2021 (aged 69)
Berea, Kentucky, U.S.
Education

Stanford University (BA)

University of Wisconsin–Madison (MA)
University of California, Santa Cruz (PhD)

Occupations

author academic activist

Years active 1978–2018

Known for Oppositional gaze
Notable work

Ain't I a Woman?: Black Women and Feminism (1981)

Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984)
All About Love: New Visions (2000)
We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity (2004)

Website web.archive.org/web/20210108230404/http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com/

Gloria Jean Watkins (September 25, 1952 – December 15, 2021), better known by her
pen name bell hooks (stylized in lowercase),[1] was an American author, theorist,
educator, and social critic who was a Distinguished Professor in Residence at Berea
College. She was best known for her writings on race, feminism, and class.[2][3]
She used the lower-case spelling of her name to decenter herself and draw attention
to her work instead. The focus of hooks' writing was to explore the
intersectionality of race, capitalism, and gender, and what she described as their
ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and class domination. She
published around 40 books, including works that ranged from essays, poetry, and
children's books. She published numerous scholarly articles, appeared in
documentary films, and participated in public lectures. Her work addressed love,
race, social class, gender, art, history, sexuality, mass media, and feminism.[4]

She began her academic career in 1976 teaching English and ethnic studies at the
University of Southern California. She later taught at several institutions
including Stanford University, Yale University, New College of Florida, and The
City College of New York, before joining Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, in 2004.
[5] In 2014, hooks also founded the bell hooks Institute at Berea College.[6] Her
pen name was borrowed from her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks.[7]
Early life

Gloria Jean Watkins was born on September 25, 1952, to a working-class African-
American family, in Hopkinsville,[8] a small, segregated town in Kentucky.[9]
Watkins was one of six children born to Rosa Bell Watkins (née Oldham) and Veodis
Watkins.[4] Her father worked as a janitor and her mother worked as a maid in the
homes of white families.[4] In her memoir Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood (1996),
Watkins would write of her "struggle to create self and identity" while growing up
in "a rich magical world of southern black culture that was sometimes paradisiacal
and at other times terrifying."[10]

An avid reader (with poets William Wordsworth, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Barrett
Browning and Gwendolyn Brooks among her favorites),[11] Watkins was educated in
racially segregated public schools, later moving to an integrated school in the
late 1960s.[12] This experience greatly influenced her perspective as an educator,
and it inspired scholarship on education practices as seen in her book, Teaching to
Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom.[13] She graduated from
Hopkinsville High School before obtaining her BA in English from Stanford
University in 1973,[14] and her MA in English from the University of Wisconsin–
Madison in 1976.[15] During this time, Watkins was writing her book Ain't I a
Woman: Black Women and Feminism, which she began at the age of 19 (c. 1971)[16] and
then published (as bell hooks) in 1981.[3]

In 1983, after several years of teaching and writing, hooks completed her doctorate
in English at the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a dissertation on
author Toni Morrison entitled "Keeping a Hold on Life: Reading Toni Morrison's
Fiction."[17][18]
Influences

Included among hooks' influences is the American abolitionist and feminist

Sojourner Truth. Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" inspired hooks' first major book.[19]
Also, the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire is mentioned in hooks' book Teaching to
Transgress. His perspectives on education are present in the first chapter,
"engaged pedagogy."[20] Other influences include Peruvian theologian Gustavo
Gutiérrez,[21] psychologist Erich Fromm,[22] playwright Lorraine Hansberry,[23]
Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh,[24] and African American writer James Baldwin.[25]
Teaching and writing

She began her academic career in 1976 as an English professor and senior lecturer
in ethnic studies at the University of Southern California.[26] During her three
years there, Golemics, a Los Angeles publisher, released her first published work,
a chapbook of poems titled And There We Wept (1978),[27] written under the name
"bell hooks." She had adopted her maternal great-grandmother's name as her pen name
because, as she later put it, her great-grandmother "was known for her snappy and
bold tongue, which [she] greatly admired."[7] She also said she put the name in
lowercase letters to convey that what is most important to focus upon is her works,
not her personal qualities: the "substance of books, not who [she is]."[28] On the
unconventional lowercasing of her pen name, hooks added that, "When the feminist
movement was at its zenith in the late '60s and early '70s, there was a lot of
moving away from the idea of the person. It was: Let's talk about the ideas behind
the work, and the people matter less... It was kind of a gimmicky thing, but lots
of feminist women were doing it."[29]

In the early 1980s and 1990s, hooks taught at several post-secondary institutions,
including the University of California, Santa Cruz, San Francisco State University,
Yale (1985 to 1988, as assistant professor of African and Afro-American studies and
English),[30] Oberlin College (1988 to 1994, as associate professor of American
literature and women's studies), and, beginning in 1994, as distinguished professor
of English at City College of New York.[31][32]

South End Press published her first major work, Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and
Feminism, in 1981, though she had written it years earlier while still an
undergraduate.[12] In the decades since its publication, Ain't I a Woman? has been
recognized for its contribution to feminist thought, with Publishers Weekly in 1992
naming it "One of the twenty most influential women's books in the last 20
years."[33] Writing in The New York Times in 2019, Min Jin Lee said that Ain't I a
Woman "remains a radical and relevant work of political theory. She lays the
groundwork of her feminist theory by giving historical evidence of the specific
sexism that black female slaves endured and how that legacy affects black womanhood
today."[30] Ain't I a Woman? examines themes including the historical impact of
sexism and racism on black women, devaluation of black womanhood,[34] media roles
and portrayal, the education system, the idea of a white-supremacist-capitalist-
patriarchy and the marginalization of black women.[35]
bell hooks in 2009

At the same time, hooks became significant as a leftist and postmodern political
thinker and cultural critic.[36] She published more than 30 books,[2] ranging in
topics from black men, patriarchy, and masculinity to self-help; engaged pedagogy
to personal memoirs; and sexuality (in regards to feminism and politics of
aesthetics and visual culture). Reel to Real: race, sex, and class at the movies
(1996) collects film essays, reviews, and interviews with film directors.[37] In
The New Yorker, Hua Hsu said these interviews displayed the facet of hooks' work
that was "curious, empathetic, searching for comrades."[4]

In Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984), hooks develops a critique of

white feminist racism in second-wave feminism, which she argued undermined the
possibility of feminist solidarity across racial lines.[38]

As hooks argued, communication and literacy (the ability to read, write, and think
critically) are necessary for the feminist movement because without them people may
not grow to recognize gender inequalities in society.[39]

In Teaching to Transgress (1994), hooks' attempts a new approach to education for

minority students.[40] Particularly, hooks' strives to make scholarship on theory
accessible to "be read and understood across different class boundaries."[41]

In 2002, hooks gave a commencement speech at Southwestern University. Eschewing the

congratulatory mode of traditional commencement speeches, she spoke against what
she saw as government-sanctioned violence and oppression, and admonished students
who she believed went along with such practices.[42][43] The Austin Chronicle
reported that many in the audience booed the speech, though "several graduates
passed over the provost to shake her hand or give her a hug."[42]

In 2004, she joined Berea College as Distinguished Professor in Residence.[44] Her

2008 book, belonging: a culture of place, includes an interview with author Wendell
Berry as well as a discussion of her move back to Kentucky.[45] She was a scholar
in residence at The New School on three occasions, the last time in 2014.[46] Also
in 2014, the Bell Hooks Institute was founded at Berea College,[3] where she
donated her papers in 2017.[47]

During her time at Berea College, hooks also founded the bell hooks center[48]
along with professor Dr. M. Shadee Malaklou.[49] The center was established to
provide underrepresented students, especially black and brown, femme, queer, and
Appalachian individuals at Berea College, a safe space where they can develop their
activist expression, education, and work.[50] The center cites hooks' work and her
emphasis on the importance of feminism and love as the inspiration and guiding
principles of the education it offers. The center offers events and programming
with an emphasis on radical feminist and anti-racist thought.[49]

She was inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame in 2018.[2][51]

In 2020, during the George Floyd protests, there was a resurgence of interest in
hooks' work on racism, feminism, and capitalism.[52]
Personal life

Regarding her sexual identity, hooks described herself as "queer-pas-gay."[53][54]

[55] She used the term "pas" from the French language, translating to "not" in the
English language. She describes being queer in her own words as "not who you're
having sex with, but about being at odds with everything around it."[56] She
states, "As the essence of queer, I think of Tim Dean's work on being queer and
queer not as being about who you're having sex with—that can be a dimension of it—
but queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and it
has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live."[57]
During an interview with Abigail Bereola in 2017, hooks revealed to Bereola that
she was single while they discussed her love life. During the interview, hooks told
Bereola, "I don't have a partner. I've been celibate for 17 years. I would love to
have a partner, but I don't think my life is less meaningful."[58]

On December 15, 2021, bell hooks died from kidney failure at her home in Berea,
Kentucky, aged 69.[2]
Buddhism

Through her interest in Beat poetry and after an encounter with the poet and
Buddhist Gary Snyder, hooks was first introduced to Buddhism in her early college
years.[59] She described herself as finding Buddhism as part of a personal journey
in her youth, centered on seeking to recenter love and spirituality in her life and
configure these concepts into her focus on activism and justice.[60] After her
initial exposures to Buddhism, hooks incorporated it into her Christian upbringing
and this combined Christian-Buddhist thought influenced her identity, activism, and
writing for the remainder of her life.[61]

She was drawn to Buddhism because of the personal and academic framework it offered
her to understand and respond to suffering and discrimination as well as love and
connection. She describes the Christian-Buddhist focus on everyday practice as
fulfilling the centering and grounding needs of her everyday life.[62]

Buddhist thought, especially the work of Thích Nhất Hạnh, appears in multiple of
hooks' essays, books, and poetry.[61] Buddhist spirituality also played a
significant role in the creation of love ethic which became a major focus in both
her written work and her activism.[63]
Legacy and impact

bell hooks' influence extends far beyond her Kentucky roots, marking her as one of
the foremost feminist voices of contemporary times. Recognized as a visionary by
Utne Reader in 1995 and acknowledged among TIME magazine's "100 Women of the Year"
in 2020, hooks has earned acclaim as a rare blend of public intellectual and rock
star.[64]
Time Magazine Cover: Bell Hooks (1952–2021): The Cultural Politics of Love

With a literary repertoire comprising over 30 books and contributions to prominent

magazines such as Ms., Essence, and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, hooks commands
attention with her blend of social commentary, autobiography, and feminist
critique. Regardless of the subject matter, her writings consistently display
scholarly rigor conveyed through accessible prose.
Prior to her tenure at Berea College, hooks held teaching positions at esteemed
institutions like Stanford, Yale, and The City College of New York. Her influence
transcends academia, as evidenced by her residencies both in the United States and
abroad. In 2014, St. Norbert College dedicated an entire year to celebrating her
contributions with "A Year of bell hooks."[65]

hooks' relevance surged amidst the racial justice movements ignited by the deaths
of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, with her work All About Love: New
Visions becoming essential reading for those seeking clarity amidst societal
upheaval. She continues to serve as a guiding voice, offering perspectives on the
path towards justice and love in turbulent times.[66]
Films

Black is... Black Ain't (1994)[67]

Give a Damn Again (1995)[68]
Cultural Criticism and Transformation (1997)[14]
My Feminism (1997)[69]
Voices of Power (1999)[70]
BaadAsssss Cinema (2002)[71]
I Am a Man: Black Masculinity in America (2004)[72]
Happy to Be Nappy and Other Stories of Me (2004)[73]
Is Feminism Dead? (2004)[74]
Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action (2008)[75]
Occupy Love (2012)[76]
Hillbilly (2018)[77]

Awards and nominations

Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics: The American Book Awards /
Before Columbus Foundation Award (1991)[78]
bell hooks: The Writer's Award from the Lila Wallace–Reader's Digest Fund
(1994)[79]
Happy to Be Nappy: NAACP Image Award nominee (2001)[80]
Homemade Love: The Bank Street College Children's Book of the Year (2002)[81]
Salvation: Black People and Love: Hurston/Wright Legacy Award nominee (2002)
[82]
bell hooks: Utne Reader's "100 Visionaries Who Could Change Your Life"[5][83]
bell hooks: The Atlantic Monthly's "One of our nation's leading public
intellectuals"[83]
bell hooks: Time 100 Women of the Year, 2020[84]

Published works
Library resources about
Bell Hooks

Resources in your library

Resources in other libraries

By Bell Hooks

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Resources in other libraries

Adult books

And There We Wept: poems. Los Angeles, California: Golemics. 1978. OCLC
6230231.
Ain't I a Woman?: Black women and feminism. Boston, Massachusetts: South End
Press. 1981. ISBN 978-0-89608-129-1.
 Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. South End Press. 1984. ISBN 978-0-
89608-613-5.
Talking Back: Thinking feminist, thinking Black. Between the Lines. 1989. ISBN
978-0-921284-09-3. Excerpted in Busby, Margaret, ed. (1992). Daughters of Africa.
New York, New York: Pantheon Books.
Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics. Boston, Massachusetts: South End
Press. 1990. ISBN 978-1-1-38821-75-0.
With Cornel West, Breaking bread: insurgent Black intellectual life. Boston,
Massachusetts: South End Press. 1991. ISBN 978-0-89608-414-8.
Black Looks: Race and representation. Boston, Massachusetts: South End Press.
1992. ISBN 978-0-89608-434-6.
Sisters of the Yam: Black women and self-recovery. Boston, Massachusetts: South
End Press. 1993. ISBN 978-1138821682.