6.2

 

Read the assigned readings below before proceeding with this assignment. You should always take notes as you work through the content, perhaps using a note-taker like this oneLinks to an external site.. Save your notes in a dedicated folder for this class. 

Start by reading the assigned reading:

chapter 19 attached

 

To understand hooks's discussion of visionary feminism, let's return to her discussion of reformist vs. revolutionary feminism. She discusses this throughout the book, but defines these terms directly in Chapter 1: "Reformist thinkers chose to emphasize gender equality. Revolutionary thinkers did not want simply to alter the existing system so that women would have more rights. We wanted to transform that system, to bring an end to patriarchy and sexism" (4). Revolutionary feminism, then, is clearly what she's describing in her definition of feminism that we discussed early in the course: "Simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression" (1). What this means is that it's not enough to simply make changes within a system that was designed to dominate and oppress--the only way to ensure justice and freedom for all, is to break down that system and build something more just, something based on "an ethics of mutuality and interdependency" (117). After all, making changes within an oppressive system only helps those who are suffering the least, as hooks details throughout the book. A truly intersectional, revolutionary feminism seeks justice for all.

And a truly visionary feminism is one that looks toward this more just future: "To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality" (110). This statement explains exactly why I like science fiction so much. Science fiction is a way of looking at the future to examine the present without the constraints of reality, to create a world that seems impossible to help us imagine what we can make possible with hard work and the right vision. This is whywriter Walidah Imarisha argues thatLinks to an external site. "We are the dreams of enslaved Black folks, who were told it was 'unrealistic' to imagine a day when they were not called property. Those Black people refused to confine their dreams to realism, and instead they dreamed us up. Then they bent reality, reshaped the world, to create us."

 

Important to hooks's visionary feminism is not just the vision, but also grounding ourselves in our concrete reality. That means, sometimes, not looking away, looking at the thing that is hard to look at, to make sure that we understand fully and clearly the problems in front of us.

And that's what we have done in this class. We have looked closely and taken a deep dive into the details and nuances of how gender functions within our lives, interacting with our other intersectional identities. 

 

For this discussion, I'd like you to write some science fiction. Don't worry--I'm not asking you to write a short story; I know not everyone has practice in that. I would, though, like you to imagine a future world where the work of feminism is done, and gendered oppression and exploitation have been obliterated. What does that world look like? Describe a brief scene of this world from the perspective of one person. Be very specific! Focus on one person (you, or a fictional person) and describe what that person is seeing and experiencing.

Your response should be about 200 words, but feel free to write a little more.