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Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory
In Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory Patricia Hill Collins offers a set of analytical tools for those wishing to develop intersectionality's capability to theorize social inequality in ways that would facilitate social change. While intersectionality helps shed light on contemporary social issues, Collins notes that it has yet to reach its full potential as a critical social theory. She contends that for intersectionality to fully realize its power, its practitioners must critically reflect on its assumptions, epistemologies, and methods. She places intersectionality in dialog with several theoretical traditions—from the Frankfurt school to black feminist thought—to sharpen its definition and foreground its singular critical purchase, thereby providing a capacious interrogation into intersectionality's potential to reshape the world.
376 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2019
About the author
Patricia Hill Collins
42 books525 followersPatricia Hill Collins (born May 1, 1948) is currently a Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is also the former head of the Department of African American Studies at the University of Cincinnati, and the past President of the American Sociological Association Council.
Collins' work primarily concerns issues involving feminism and gender within the African-American community. She first came to national attention for her book Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment, originally published in 1990.
Collins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1948. The only daughter of a factory worker and a secretary, Collins attended the Philadelphia public schools.
After obtaining her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University in 1969, she continued on to earn a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching from Harvard University in 1970. From 1970 to 1976, she was a teacher and curriculum specialist at St Joseph Community School, among two others, in Boston. She continued on to become the Director of the Africana Center at Tufts University until 1980, after which she completed her doctorate in sociology back at Brandeis in 1984.
While earning her PhD, Collins worked as an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati beginning in 1982. In 1990, Collins published her first book, "Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment". A revised tenth anniversary edition of the book was published in 2000, and subsequently translated into Korean in 2009.
While working at Tufts, she married Roger L. Collins in the year 1977, a professor of education at the University of Cincinnati, with whom she has one daughter, Valerie L. Collins.
In 1990, Collins was the recipient of the prestigious C. Wright Mills Award. She was later awarded the Jessie Bernard Award by the American Sociological Association in 1993. For her book Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender and the New Racism (Routledge, 2005), she was presented the American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholarly Book Award in 2007.
Collins is recognized as a social theorist, drawing from many intellectual traditions; her more than 40 articles and essays have been published in a wide range of fields, including philosophy, history, psychology, and most notably sociology. Moreover, Collins was the recipient of a Sydney Spivack Dissertation Support Award.
The University of Cincinnati named Collins The Charles Phelps Taft Professor of Sociology in 1996, making her the first ever African-American, and only the second woman, to hold this position. She received emeritus status in the Spring of 2005, and became a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. The University of Maryland named Collins a Distinguished University Professor in 2006.
(from Wikipedia)
Collins' work primarily concerns issues involving feminism and gender within the African-American community. She first came to national attention for her book Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment, originally published in 1990.
Collins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1948. The only daughter of a factory worker and a secretary, Collins attended the Philadelphia public schools.
After obtaining her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University in 1969, she continued on to earn a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching from Harvard University in 1970. From 1970 to 1976, she was a teacher and curriculum specialist at St Joseph Community School, among two others, in Boston. She continued on to become the Director of the Africana Center at Tufts University until 1980, after which she completed her doctorate in sociology back at Brandeis in 1984.
While earning her PhD, Collins worked as an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati beginning in 1982. In 1990, Collins published her first book, "Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment". A revised tenth anniversary edition of the book was published in 2000, and subsequently translated into Korean in 2009.
While working at Tufts, she married Roger L. Collins in the year 1977, a professor of education at the University of Cincinnati, with whom she has one daughter, Valerie L. Collins.
In 1990, Collins was the recipient of the prestigious C. Wright Mills Award. She was later awarded the Jessie Bernard Award by the American Sociological Association in 1993. For her book Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender and the New Racism (Routledge, 2005), she was presented the American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholarly Book Award in 2007.
Collins is recognized as a social theorist, drawing from many intellectual traditions; her more than 40 articles and essays have been published in a wide range of fields, including philosophy, history, psychology, and most notably sociology. Moreover, Collins was the recipient of a Sydney Spivack Dissertation Support Award.
The University of Cincinnati named Collins The Charles Phelps Taft Professor of Sociology in 1996, making her the first ever African-American, and only the second woman, to hold this position. She received emeritus status in the Spring of 2005, and became a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. The University of Maryland named Collins a Distinguished University Professor in 2006.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 22, 2021
Amazing work that needs to be shared. The writing is very accessible to almost anyone. This is a permanent fix on my bookshelf from now and after I receive my PhD.
September 30, 2025
An extremely well written and structured book, inciting critical questions and directions for intersectionality as a social theory, analytic, methodology and ethical approach.
Building on more than 30 years advancing Black feminist thought, Patricia Hill Collins sets up a new level of engaged debate, with rich tools and complex elements, for the social sciences and humanities. Not restricted to academic fields, the book shows how and why intersectionality is a key framework to further studies and emancipatory projects on / for social justice.
Building on more than 30 years advancing Black feminist thought, Patricia Hill Collins sets up a new level of engaged debate, with rich tools and complex elements, for the social sciences and humanities. Not restricted to academic fields, the book shows how and why intersectionality is a key framework to further studies and emancipatory projects on / for social justice.
February 24, 2024
Super helpful, it explained a lot of things I've kind of struggled to figure out for years. And PHC has such clarity of expression that, while the ideas themselves are very dense and chewy, the prose was like biting into a crisp, refreshing apple.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 1, 2026What is important is to see the overlapping structures and systems of oppression, and to leave all the conclusions provisional at best.
February 3, 2023
Molto interessante ma denso. Superficialmente può sembrare ripeta gli stessi concetti, ma in realtà si stratificano in maniera sempre differente.
July 27, 2023
un manuale di studio che si pone il difficile compito di spiegare cos'è oggi (e come si è evoluta) l'intersezionalità e, soprattutto, dove può (e deve) pensare di andare.
Molto interessante, spiegato in modo abbastanza chiaro per chi già mastica qualcosa di teorie sociali è senz'altro un manuale che può aprire una discussione.
Molto interessante, spiegato in modo abbastanza chiaro per chi già mastica qualcosa di teorie sociali è senz'altro un manuale che può aprire una discussione.
October 25, 2021
This is one of the best books I have actually ever read. This might be biased because it's definitely one of the most difficult books I have ever read but it was extremely comprehensive and made this concept so clear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2021
Excellent. Very informative. After reading this book, you will not use the word intersectionality as an empty word to fill the silence again.
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December 13, 2021I love Collins's scholarship and thinking. This was a BIG LIFT for me to read. I'll have to revisit it.
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January 20, 2022303.4 H6455 2019
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October 23, 2025Mostly over my head but a lot of good stuff nonetheless.
June 15, 2026
The case studies are interesting.
February 11, 2022
Excellent searching, thought-provoking read. I was back and forth between 4 and 5 stars, finally landing on 4 simply because I didn’t necessarily have any paradigm-shifting aha! Moments reading it as I have with other texts in this vein. But I think that’s probably a function of me needing to sit with the text a bit longer. Will be re-reading and is already informing my dissertation work.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews