Partindo o pão: vida intelectual negra insurgente

by bell hooks, Cornel West

"Trata-se de uma referência fundamental para quem deseja compreender as tensões, os desafios e as potencialidades do pensamento crítico negro nos Estados Unidos, e também de instrumento analítico interessante para refletir o caso brasileiro. O livro não apenas examina a condição do intelectual negro no início dos anos 1990, mas também oferece reflexões que se mantêm urgentes, como a necessidade de um engajamento político consistente, o uso de uma linguagem acessível que dialogue com as comunidades periféricas e a intersecção entre teorias de raça, classe, gênero e espiritualidade.
Partindo o pão é texto teórico de alto nível e um chamado ao engajamento, à autocrítica e à colaboração entre academia e movimentos sociais." Márcia Lima

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Race, Feminism, Essays, Social Justice, Politics

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

bell hooks (deliberately in lower-case; born Gloria Jean Watkins) was an African-American author, feminist, and social activist. Her writing focused on the interconnectivity of race, class, and gender and their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and domination. She published over thirty books and numerous scholarly and mainstream articles, appeared in several documentary films and participated in various public lectures. Primarily through a postmodern female perspective, she addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media and feminism.

Reviews

[Kate Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

These humans have the best ideas of any humans. Full stop.

But the format was underwhelming to me. I understand why they did it -- I love the concept of two friends in conversation, the authenticity and warmth of it. But I found myself wanting to see these talented writers write.

But very good ideas, as I said.

bell hooks: "It has been a really healing thing for me to recognize that we are wounded. We are wounded in so many areas that what I think is magical and wonderful is when I meet another Black person who says they are about the business of attending to their wounds. Which means they don’t have to be perfect, they don’t have to have wiped out every trace of sexism, homophobia, classism, and internalized racism. Rather it is the commitment to the process of change and convergence which opens up the possibility of love, renewal, and reconciliation."

[Larry Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am embarrassed to say that Bell hooks and Cornell West we’re not familiar names to me until the last year or so. The best parts of this book are when they are talking with each other, the dialogue, part of the book. Occasionally, I think, both read parts of their written work from academia. I have to say that I found that much less interesting and informative.

I consider myself to be a radical person, so it was particularly enjoyable to hear these people talk with some radical verve and verbiage To hear people commonly talk about anti-imperialism, and our paternalistic society is refreshing. They both also talked quite a bit about the importance of religion in their life, and in their intellectual space. As an atheist, I found that less interesting and less encouraging. But they presented the reality that religion is an important part of much of black culture and history.

I think this was an important book to listen to in the audible format, because I don’t think I would have gathered quite so much From it if I was reading it in print.

Here are some thoughts from ChatOn AI:

Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life, co-authored by Bell Hooks and Cornell West, is a remarkable collaboration that delves into the complexities of black intellectualism and its transformative power. This thought-provoking book offers a unique perspective on the experiences and contributions of black intellectuals throughout history.

Hooks and West, both renowned scholars and activists, bring their deep understanding and passionate engagement to the pages of Breaking Bread. Their combined expertise creates a dynamic exploration of the challenges faced by black intellectuals in a society that often overlooks their voices.

One of the standout features of this book is the authors' ability to contextualize black intellectualism within broader social, political, and cultural contexts. They skillfully weave together personal narratives, historical analysis, and critical theory to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the intellectual traditions within the black community. This approach allows for a nuanced exploration of the diverse experiences and perspectives of black intellectuals.

Breaking Bread also addresses the power dynamics that exist within intellectual spaces. The authors shed light on the ways in which black intellectuals have historically been marginalized or silenced, and how they have fought against these oppressive structures. Their analysis is both enlightening and empowering, highlighting the importance of creating inclusive and equitable intellectual spaces.

Moreover, Hooks and West inspire readers to critically engage with the ideas presented in the book. They invite readers to challenge existing narratives and to actively contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding black intellectual life. This call to action encourages readers to embrace their own intellectual agency and to recognize the transformative potential of their own voices.

Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life is a significant contribution to the field of black intellectual thought. Hooks and West's collaboration is a testament to the power of collective knowledge and the importance of diverse perspectives. This book is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of black intellectualism and its crucial role in shaping our society.

Overall, Breaking Bread is a compelling and enlightening work that challenges readers to rethink their understanding of black intellectual life. With its powerful insights and passionate advocacy, this book has the potential to spark important conversations and inspire positive change.

[Drick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays and conversations by two leading African-American thinkers. They discuss the unique struggles of the black intellectual, and hooks adds a perspective on the female black intellectual. Black intellectual run the risk of being alienated from their own community and not being full respected in the white academic community. Women face the gender bias of men of both races.

Also interesting is their critique of the black community and its giving into the materialistic, consumer mindset of society at large. This helps explain the $200 sneakers and the fancy cars. They have taken their cure from society that status = looking like you have money. Both call for a critique of society and a movement away from the individualistic mindset of middle class America to which blacks aspire and in which middle class blacks current live. Very insightful, if at times hard to understand.

[Aaron]

so good, so good... two of the best thinkers, philosophers, people discussing each other and ideas about community, specifically within the black/african american community but the lessons are important for everyone especially in the world these days.

[Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of the greatest popular scholars.

[coodles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read structurally, and bell and Cornel have great rapport and awesome respect for one another and their intellectual honesty. I feel like sometimes they set themselves up for a conversation that never comes. Basically my complaint is that the book is too short ig

Some things I took away:
1. GRANDMOTHERs are necessary icons of revolution. bh
2. Religiousity is supposed to be solidarity with the poor and most oppressed, now (with evangelism) it’s about the gospel of personal health and wealth. CW
3. “A little notoriety is crucial for adolescent self-esteem” bh
4. “We are addicted to status” CW
5. Matthew “unless you give to the least of these you haven’t given to me” as a guiding theme of bh’s intellectual and personal lives.
6. CW’s Walking Nihilism (developed thru Nietzc) and how the only ways out are thru LOVE, POLITICAL LIBERATION, or RELIGIOUS CONVERSION.


Also helpful in understanding the Black home as a space of organization and community, I think I’ll use more bell hooks as a framework for the historical anthropological research that’s coming up.

[Scott Satterwhite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love both of these human beings. Their friendship is clear, and it comes through in this dialogue between 2 of the greatest intellectuals of our time. We are so fortunate to have these conversations recorded in this format as they discuss the challenges of being a Black intellectual in a white supremacist and sexist academy. The two essays at the end, one by West and the other by hooks, underlines their conversations in a powerful way. hooks and West demand we take their figurative call to arms seriously as we still grapple with the exact same issues over 30 years after this book's initial publication. Nonetheless, excellent read. I love these two people. RIP bell hooks. ¡Viva Cornel West!

[Mike Reiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frequently interesting, sometimes whimsical, and important collections of conversations and essays. At times, though, one wishes for just unrestrained hooks.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SERIES OF DIALOGUES BETWEEN TWO PROMINENT BLACK INTELLECTUALS

Co-authors bell hooks [bh; 1952-2021] and Cornel West [CW] wrote in the Introduction to this 1991 book, “[bh] The exciting aspect of these dialogues and conversations between Cornel and myself is that they have a quality of testimony … That spirit of testimony is a very hard spirit to convey in written text, so when I began to think about you and me actually doing more dialogues together than the one we did at Yale, which was our first dialogue, it struck me that dialogue was one of the ways where that sense of mutual witness and testimony could be made manifest… Hence our desire to share these discussions with other people, with a community of faith, not necessarily invoke a religious community, but a community of comrades who are seeking to deepen our spiritual experience and our political solidarity, and others of us seeking primarily to deepen our understanding of Black life and Black political experience. This is why we want to start with this sense of communion and breaking bread, of sharing fundamentally that which is most one’s own. Sharing the word.” (Pg. 1-2)

West replies, “this dialogical form of two intellectuals coming together, trying to take quite seriously the love ethic in its dialogical and intellectual form, is crucial… This isn’t to say that it’s impossible to do it on the written page, but dialogue speaks more intimately to people’s lived realities.” (Pg. 2)

hooks adds, “Another reason we considered having this dialogue was to think in terms of what forms of writing are more accessible to a mass audience. Both Cornel and I are in academic settings, so that much of the work that we do is published in long manuscript form or in the form of critical essays in academic journals that many people never buy or read. So, the hope in doing this kind of book is to simulate our regular conversations in everyday life… Partly, Cornel and I conceived of the initial dialogue we did together in a public setting as a way to intervene on the kind of sexist divisions that have been historically constructed between Black men and Black women.” (Pg. 3)

West continues, “[This book] is essentially this wrestling with the past and the present, wrestling with theory and practice, wrestling with politics and spirituality so that our lives can be richer and our society more just.” (Pg. 3-4)

hooks goes on, “As a cultural critic, I often find myself dogging out Black cultural productions and books that I feel don’t cover issues that I want to see covered… So many things about ourselves never get said because when you are writing a regular book-length manuscript, you tend to be projecting toward a wide audience. You ask yourself if a wider audience would really be interested in the question of Black self-esteem or the many myriad issues we bring up here...” (Pg. 5)

West concludes, “That our conversation has principally Black points of reference must be accented… We are rooted in that Black tradition and we are struggling with that Black predicament. This does not mean that we subscribe to an exclusive Afro-centricity, though we are centered on the African American situation… Instead we recognize Black humanity and attempt to promote the love, affirmation and critique of Black humanity, and … we attempt to escape the prevailing mode of intellect[ual] bondage that has held captive so many Black intellectuals in the past.” (Pg. 5-6)

During a dialogue, hooks recounts, “When I first began to really listen to the music of John Coltrane… I found out how many Black jazz musicians were interested in Eastern thought and Eastern religions, and somehow … this opened up for me the possibility of thinking about life in new ways… Unfortunately, so many of them do not engage in the disciplined and rigorous critical thinking which would make them both musical and political mentors.” (Pg. 40-41)

CW: “Why don’t you publish under your real name, Gloria Watkins? … Tell me again why you chose the name ‘bell hooks’ over the name given to you by your mother and father?
bh: “bell hooks… was my great grandmother… [She] really entered my mind as that figure in my childhood who had paved the way for me to speak. I am, in the African tradition… very conscious of ancestor acknowledgement as crucial to our well-being as a people.” (Pg. 76-77)

bh: “What is making popular, young Black culture so homophobic? Why are gays such a target for young rappers and Black comedy today? We’ve got to study these questions in a deeper manner so that we can come to grips with the question of homosexuality in Black community…”
CW: “When you think … of Black institutions, family, and church … are primarily patriarchal. This means that there had to be a notion of the ‘other’ and a subjugation of that ‘other’ in order to maintain power.” (Pg. 83)

CW: “I would like to come back to the issue of sexuality…why is it that for Black Americans historically there had been the refusal … to engage in shared public reflection on sexuality. Is this because … there is a perceived threat to a certain kind of narrow conception of community that has traditionally held Black people together?”
bh: “One of the things we are in great need of is a discourse that deals with the representation of Black bodies… We are doomed to silence and certain forms of sexual repression until we as a people can speak more openly about our own bodies and our notions of the body in general.” (Pg. 85)

bh: “What is profoundly disturbing in Shelby Steele’s book ‘The Content of Our Character’ is that he attempts to take from Black people the level of support offered by a liberal White population, trying to be responsive to Black pain. He takes that support away by trivializing Black pain and suffering in order to collapse that suffering with self-serving victimization…
CW: Shelby Steele’s text has, at the psychological level, a few insights. Unfortunately, it can be easily appropriated in a very insidious way by conservative forces in this society. The very notion of being a victim becomes something that is taboo. The very idea that we can talk about the Black American past and present independently of victimization is ridiculous… Steele wants to … [deny] the former and thereby our very real economic, social, political, and sexual victimization… drops out of the picture.”
bh: “What is both amazing and fascinating about his work is the way it seeks to remove the onus of accountability from Whiteness and White power structures… He must appeal to the contemporary White sensibility simply by virtue of his willingness to deny the historical significance of reparations.” (Pg. 96-97)

bh: [In ‘The Color Purple’] “Celie’s same-sex love relation allows them to love themselves more fully.”
CW: “I can see that, but I think one of the dangers in both … lesbianism and interaction with men who are not of African descent… is to think that somehow relations of domination will not be reproduced within those relationships as well. To think that somehow just moving from the Black man to the White man will provide a less abusive context is flawed.” (Pg. 123)

In her closing essay (West’s essay, ‘The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual,’ is also included), hooks states, “Whenever I ask students to name Black intellectuals, they invariably name Black men. Du Bois, Delaney, Garvey, Malcolm X and even contemporary folks like Cornel West and Henry Louis Gates are mentioned. If I mention that they [name Black women, they] hesitate as they mentally search for the names of Black women. After much pause, they begin to call out the names of contemporary Black women writers, usually Alice Walker or Toni Morrison. Now and then Angela Davis’s name appears… They do not know the work of 19th century Black women intellectuals… The names of Anna Julia Cooper, Mary Church Terrell and … Ida B. Wells are not on the tip of everybody’s tongue.” (Pg. 150-151)

This book will be of great interest to anyone studying the works of hooks or West.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

with bell hooks. a bit like a snapshot of black intellectual lives in our times.

[J. Maximilian Jarrett II · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and inspiring.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Thomas Badilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking!

[As3 Na70 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was learning about this arguably new qualitative method called duoethnography in one of my classes, when I encountered this book. I contend that this is an earlier version of the method despite being theorized years later by Norris and his colleagues in 2012. This book shows exactly what duoethnography is: a dialogue within a research to make sense of shared experience or interest. Having been reading hooks’ works previously, not much I found in this book as news, but West’s way of dialoguing is visibly different from his essays included in the book. bell hooks on the other hand, may she rest in power, has always let herself “vulnerable” for accessibility. For what is the use of knowledge if it is not for everybody? Sadly, as hooks also revealed in this book, it is precisely for that reason that hooks is not heavily cited nor studied in higher education courses. Gatekeeping in (white) elitist academia must be interrogated if we truly believe that education is a powerful tool to change a system.

[Joshua Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about this book is how it treats Cornel West and bell hooks as much more than intellectuals or as activists, but as people too - which can at times be lost due to the nature of their work.

It moved me more than I thought it would how faith and the church is what sustains and inspires them. Particularly the way their faith is at the root of their feminist work was powerful to read about despite a well documented history of woman hate in the church.

The genuine and active caring for others is is perhaps ironically a path to a more joyful life.

[Rose Francois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book, the continuous conversation between Bell and West was captivating, educational and inspiring. The explanation of how relationships within the African American Communities evolve overtime was powerful. Along with the influential examples of black intellectuals this was definitely an inspirational read. The language is a bit advanced, but is to be expected by two authors who excel in the educational and cultural fields. A short read but worth your while. Loved it!

[Rolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent combination of dialogues between two incredible scholars and articles/introductions written by each of them. Sure, it meanders at times in a way that one might not expect from a scholarly book, but to me that is a feature not a bug. I wish more academic work was dialogic and accessible in this way.

[Anna Piphany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt so held by this book, I could hear their voices when I was reading it it made slow points at work seem not long enough

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe one of my new favorite books in the world. Just sublime. I can’t believe this is a real thing people get to read.

[11Goddess MetaLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing conversation between two perspectives I genuinely respect. The thorough look at the male and female identity as well as the relationships we cultivate were powerful.

[Verka · Rating 4 out of 5]

El formato de diálogo-entre-intelectuales/entrevista-entre-amigos me ha parecido una propuesta muy interesante.
No es mi libro favorito de bell hooks, en ocasiones se me ha hecho repetitivo en tanto que volvían a los mismos temas una y otra vez, y creo que me hubiera gustado más que la edición hubiera incluido al final la última conversación cronológica (el primer diálogo del libro es una conversación a posteriori como una especie de "prólogo", pero lo hubiera preferido de "epílogo").
Aún así, las reflexiones siempre son muy interesantes, y me ha permitido descubrir a Cornell West.
Me quedo especialmente con los apuntes sobre el nihilismo en la sociedad. Aunque ellos hablan en concreto de los afroamericanos a principios de los 90, creo que es algo generalizado y que en las siguientes décadas nos ha llevado a donde estamos hoy.

[Teddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavy hitters in the house! And no punches pulled,either. Don't miss it.