Episode 139: bell hooks on Racism/Sexism (Part Two)
Summary: Continuing on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1138821519/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1138821519&linkCode=as2&tag=theparexalif-20&linkId=CVUFKVBRC2KU7ZWF" target="_ blank">Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism</a> (1981) and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0896084337/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0896084337&linkCode=as2&tag=theparexalif-20&linkId=QZBYDMC6YDLCDVY5" target="_ blank">Black Looks: Race and Representation</a> (1992, Intro, Ch. 3, 11), with guest <a href="http://www.myishacherry.org/" target="_blank">Myisha Cherry</a>.<br> We talk about black feminist "essentialism" (i.e., a single narrative of oppression) and how that relates to bell hooks's project of media critique. Every person's journey is individual, yet she thinks there are right ways and wrong ways to self-actualize: You may think you're all independent and free, but really you're just parroting the narratives of the oppressor, e.g., by embracing loose sexuality or enjoying films where black gang members shoot each other up. How can we tell if this self-deception is really happening in particular cases?<br> The video Mark refers to is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb5ktcC3UEk" target="_blank">this conversation she engaged in</a> at The New School; some of the references might also be to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2bmnwehlpA" target="_blank">her Speaking Freely appearance</a>. You can also watch her in dialogue with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LL0k6_pPKw" target="_blank">Cornel West</a>, whom we briefly covered in <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2012/03/17/episode-52-philosophy-and-race-dubois-mlk-cornel-west/" target="_blank">ep. 52</a>.<br> Listen to <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2016/05/09/ep139-1-bell-hooks/" target="_blank">part 1</a> first or get the unbroken, ad-free <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2016/05/08/ep139-bell-hooks-citizen/" target="_blank">Citizen Edition</a> with your <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/membership-options/" target="_blank">PEL Citizenship</a>. <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/donate/" target="_blank">Please support PEL</a>!<br> End song: "Stories" by <a href="http://www.marklint.com/" target="_blank">Mark Lint</a> and <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2016/02/27/nem6-steve-petrinko/" target="_blank">Steve Petrinko</a> (2011).<br> bell hooks picture by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Solomon.grundy.39" target="_blank">Solomon Grundy</a>.<br>
