In her article, Bell Hooks criticises the feminist movement for placing the problem of patriarchal dominance above problems of racism and other forms of domination. Hooks reminds us that "women can and do participate in politics of domination, as perpetrators as well as victims" (1989, p. 19) and that oppressed and oppressor can and do share the same race, class and/or sex. This reminds me of Foucault's theory of power. Foucault describes power as a "mobile field of force relations" (1978, p. 102), meaning that power isn't static. It also means that power cannot be possessed by a person or an institution, rather, power is a force relationship between people and institutions. Hooks speaks of the importance of "interlocking systems of domination" wherein more than one relation of power may be in effect. She emphasizes the importance to take class and race into account when focusing on patriarchal domination. Without considering interlocking systems of domination, we may just end up with a racist cause to end patriarchal domination, or a sexist cause to end racism. I suggest that what we need is an all encompassing cause to end oppression.
Hooks, B. 1989, ‘Feminism: A Transformational Politic’, Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black, South End Press Boston MA, pp. 19-27.
M. Foucault, “Method” in The History of Sexuality: An Introduction, trans. R. Hurley, Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1978, pp. 92-102.
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