Black Feminist Theory

Abstract Black feminist consciousness arises from an understanding of intersecting patterns of discrimination. If race and gender are studied as separate categories, one cannot explain how attitudes might change as a result of cross-pressures to subordinate the interests of black women so as to protect black men. In this essay, I start with a discussion of black feminist consciousness, providing an overview of its origins, offering a definition, and emphasizing themes that delineate its contours. To underscore the importance of studying black feminist voices in politics, I discuss the limitations of available data and quantitative approaches used hitherto by political scientists.