Review: Passionate Politics by bell hooks

Sixteen years after the publication of Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (hooks, 1984), hooks published a book that interrogates and explores ideas within contemporary feminist theory of gender, sexuality, race, class and society.  Part analysis and part anecdotal, the critically acclaimed Feminism is for Everybody (hooks, 2000) is written within a simple and accessible language, allowing it to be enjoyed by anyone.  In this potent piece of literature, she tends to argue her points by giving contrasting points, and uses examples from her own experiences as illustration.  Divided up between nineteen chapters, she focuses on an array of different issues, such as education, reproductive rights, women in the workplace, feminist masculinity, parenting and violence. 

    The premise of the book is that feminism ‘is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression.’  Despite this, some strands of feminism have come across as anti-male and failed to keep momentum as it has ‘lost clear definitions.’  It has not always been inclusive and hooks calls for a feminism that is more welcoming, intersectional and most importantly ‘a liberatory vision of feminist transformation,’ that can suit anyone, regardless of issues such as gender, sexuality, class, ability and race.

     Some of the arguments that hooks offers on issues such as reproductive rights and education, are familiar.  hooks discusses the need for women to access safe, effective contraceptives, abortions and other family planning procedures.  She stresses the importance of a feminist approach to education that interprets the portrayals of women and position of women in feminist and non-feminist literature, aims to raise consciousness for feminist thinking and tests feminist ideas and feminist thought.  These ideas have appeared time and time again within feminist texts and among feminist activists who have campaigned for better reproductive rights in a number of countries and have also offered services such as feminist meet-ups, book clubs and libraries for decades.  Saying this, I do not feel that hooks includes these subjects to provide a new idea, but to reiterate the importance of issues of reproduction and education.  

     Perhaps the most interesting element to the book is the way in which hooks explores the way in which women can be the perpetrators of what is perceived to be traditionally ‘masculine behaviour,’ violence and reinforcers of patriarchal structures and thought.  As patriarchal tendencies and behaviours are learned, women can contribute to them as well as men.  For example, hooks looks at the way in which feminists fight to sustain a large awareness of domestic violence and patriarchal violence and how it might end.   hooks defines patriarchal violence, which is often referred to as domestic violence, as violence ‘in the home [which] is based on the belief that it is acceptable for a more powerful individual to control others through various forms of coercive force.’  This anti-sexist approach means that it can include violence within same-sex relationships and women inflicting violence on men.  She claims that for some feminists coming to terms with the fact that domestic abuse occurs in lesbian relationships and also that lesbians participated in sadomasochist sexual acts were quite shocking revelations, as it went against the idea that patriarchal violence were inherently masculine and men were the only ones who perpetrated violence and abuse.   It also went against the idea that lesbianism and feminism go hand in hand, as some feminists who try to dictate what women may or may not enjoy sexually are actually perpetrating homophobia and sexist ideas at the same time. 

     Interestingly, instead of urging for an end to domestic violence and abuse or for an end to violence against women as a whole, she calls for an end to all forms of patriarchal violence.  Arguing that violence is a learned thing, from parents who use violence, such as (both mothers and fathers) smacking and pulling ears to discipline unruly children, ultimately producing children who feel that violence is a given and normal part of life.  hooks uses the example of a mother she encountered at a dinner party where a woman was boasting about how she would pinch down on her son’s flesh hard when he was disobedient and claims that this was ‘planting the seeds for this male child to grow up and be abusive to women,’ before contrasting it to the idea of a woman being pinched hard by her male partner to teach her obedience illustrating how appalling the abuse was.  If both men and women are responsible for teaching children to learn how to deal with difficult and frustrating situations without resorting to violence, we, as a society, will become one step closer to end patriarchal violence.  Calling for an end to violence against women instead of calling to eradicate all forms of violence, seems to suggest that violence will always be present in the world.  The eradication of all forms of violence may be a long and complicated process, but so would ending all forms of violence against women.  So I feel that here, hooks offers a satisfying argument for ending all forms of patriarchal violence, as opposed to calling for an end of violence against women.  

    Although I feel that hooks puts forward a compelling and powerful argument for feminism to be seen as a movement that is ‘anti-sexism,’ I believe that the idea that feminism has lost clear definitions and this is a downfall, less satisfying.  Feminism ought to be open to interpretation whilst still being seen as an anti-sexist movement.  People have very different experiences and varied reasons for coming to feminism;  therefore allowing feminism to be open to interpretation is a strength.  

    Moving away from whether the argument was persuasive or not, hooks triumphs in the way in which she writes, allowing it be very accessible and using simple, but powerful contrasting examples to illustrate her arguments.  This means the book could be a brilliant introduction into feminist literature or could be used as a light read for the converts.  Although many feminist theorists have stressed the importance of feminist approaches to class systems and education, often they write texts that are too dense and difficult to read.  Finally, it is a refreshing step away from a polarising feminism which casts men as bad and women inherently fragile and innocent, whilst providing a realistic argument for why feminism is for everybody.  

Bibliography: 

hooks b, Feminism Is For Everybody (South End Press 2000)

hooks b, Feminist Theory From Margin To Center (South End Press 1984)