Bell hooks on Online Feminism

Proceedings of The 4th Global Conference on Women’s Studies

Year: 2022

DOI:

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Bell hooks on Online Feminism

Hazel T. Biana

ABSTRACT: 

Feminist theorist and cultural critic bell hooks was known for calling out modern-day feminists for failing to take into consideration the plight of other non-privileged women. She intricately analyzed how various factors of oppression forms a web, which contributes to the complexities of women’s marginalization. Hooks’ vision, thus, is a revolutionary type of feminism which is inclusive and for everybody. This means that everyone, all persons of various races or classes should be a part of the movement and the struggle towards eradicating what she refers to as White Capitalist Supremacist Patriarchy. Such vision, however, seems to be already imbibed by fourth wave feminists. Also known as online feminists, the fourth wave movement has taken to heart the vision of replacing oppressive thought and action with supposed feminist thought and action. The question that arises, however, is whether this new society which brought forth call-out and cancel culture, and the #MeToo movement, is the type of global transformation or revolutionary change that hooks’ envisioned, or is it merely a remnant of contemporary/ reformist feminist discourse?  Based on hooks’ works, I examine the nuances and struggles of fourth wave feminism, and contemplate, what would bell hooks say about online feminism but didn’t?

keywords: call-out culture, fourth wave, intersectionality, oppression, postfeminism