bell hooks
The Dissident Intellectual
American author, feminist, educator, and social activist.
“One of the best guides to how to be self-loving is to give ourselves the love we are often dreaming about receiving from others.”
– bell hooks, All About Love
Early Life
Born Gloria Jean Watkins in 1952 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, bell hooks grew up in the segregated South, where she witnessed firsthand the intersections of race, gender, and class. Her early experiences with desegregation profoundly shaped her views on education and systemic oppression.
Career
hooks was a prolific writer, educator, and cultural critic, publishing approximately 40 books spanning feminist theory, cultural criticism, and education. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and later taught at institutions such as Yale and Berea College, where she founded the bell hooks Institute.
Notable Works
Her seminal book Ain’t I a Woman? (1981) revolutionized Black feminist thought by addressing the racism within feminism and the sexism within civil rights movements. All About Love (2000) reframed love as a radical, transformative force, while Teaching to Transgress (1994) redefined education as an act of resistance.
Death and Legacy
bell hooks passed away on December 15, 2021, at 69. Her work continues to shape feminist, educational, and cultural discourse, with Ain’t I a Woman?, Teaching to Transgress, and All About Love remaining widely studied. The bell hooks Institute at Berea College preserves her contributions and fosters critical thought. Her vision of love, education, and radical resistance as tools for liberation ensures that her influence endures, inspiring generations to challenge oppression and seek justice.
Bibliography
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- Ain’t I a Woman? (1981)
- Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984)
- Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black (1989)
- Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics (1990)
- Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life (w/ Cornel West 1991)
- Black Looks: Race and Representation (1992)
- Sisters of the Yam (1993)
- Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (1994)
- Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations (1994)
- Killing Rage: Ending Racism (1995)
- Art on My Mind: Visual Politics (1995)
- Reel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies (1996)
- Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood (1996)
- Wounds of Passion: A Writing Life (1997)
- Remembered Rapture: the Writer at Work (1999)
- Happy to be Nappy (w/ illustrator Chris Raschka 1999)
- All About Love: New Visions (2000)
- Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics (2000)
- Where We Stand: Class Matters (2000)
- Salvation: Black People and Love (2001)
- Communion: the Female Search for Love (2002)
- Homemade Love (w/ illustrator Shane W. Evans 2002)
- Be Boy Buzz (w/ illustrator Chris Raschka 2002)
- Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope (2003)
- Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem (2003)
- The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love (2004)
- We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity (2004)
- Skin Again (w/ illustrator Chris Raschka 2004)
- Soul Sister: Women, Friendship, and Fulfillment (2005)
- Homegrown: Engaged Cultural Criticism (2006)
- Belonging: A Culture of Place (2008)
- Grump Groan Growl (w/ illustrator Chris Raschka 2008)
- Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom (2010)
- Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place (2012)
- Writing Beyond Race: Living Theory and Practice (2013)
“Women are the real architects of society.” 