‘—

Assignment 08

Patricia Hill Collins uses the ideologies of Black feminist thought to prove that “outsiders” can positively contribute to the field of sociology and our understanding of society and culture. She speaks about the benefits of having “outsiders” while studying the world and different cultures within it. She says that “outsiders” have objectivity instead of subjectivity, therefore they are not biased in thought or action. In society, we tend to confide in and trust those on the outside who have no ties to people on the inside. They have no emotional ties and therefore remain indifferent in their opinions. Lastly, an “outsider’s” objectivity helps them see things people immersed on the inside would not. (Like the idea of seeing something from above to get a different view. Or talking a walk in someone else’s shoes.)

The fact that “outsiders” tend to self-valuate and self-define — which challenges defined and controlling images — helps them to resist oppression and stereotypes. Collins explains that this refusal to accept assigned roles and status as the “other” challenges societal “norms” and the reason for the domination in the first place. By describing the idea of the “interlocking nature of oppression”, Collins shows that those who deal with multiple forms of oppression (gender, race and class; therefore being female, Black and poor) have a clearer view of oppression because they are so far on the outside. They see clearly how society is organized in a specific hierarchical “norm” where whites rule Blacks, males dominate females, facts over opinions, subjects rule objects, and so on (S21).

Sociologists’ goals are to look beyond personal experiences and into the larger political, social and economic issues that affect the lives of others in our society. In order to do this, they need to immerse themselves from the outside to the inside of a strange every day life. Using an “outsider” point of view while trusting their own history and biographies makes the best researchers and helps sociologists understand society and culture in a more complete fashion.