Black Sexual Politics

"Patricia Hill Collins' brilliant and ground-breaking analysis of the urgency of a more progressive Black sexual politics among African Americans is nothing short of a 'tour de force.' This book is sure to be a foundational text in Black gender studies and a corrective to the continued erasure of gender and sexuality as important issues in mainstream African American Studies scholarship. Her foray into popular culture is particularly insightful as is her sophisticated theoretical approach to Black gender discourse around a number of issues including class dimensions of masculinity, violence against women, and HIV/AIDS. She demonstrates with extraordinary skill the bankruptcy of gender-blind anti-racist politics in the 21st century. Her wake-up call to Black America and the nation is heart-felt and piercing. No more business-as-usual is the loud message!" -- Beverly Guy-Sheftall, co-author of Gender Talk "A leading scholar in the field of black feminist studies, Patricia Hill Collins once again challenges readers to think differently, this time about sexuality in black communities. Collins argues for a new black sexual politics, focused on liberating black women and men and highlighting the role of culture in this struggle. This book is sure to spark needed and timely debate." -- Cathy J. Cohen, author of The Boundaries of Blackness "A pathbreaking exploration of complex intersections of racism, sexism, and heterosexism! Patricia Hill Collins shows how unhealthy sexual politics in black communities imbeds white-generated images of stereotyped masculinity, femininity, and sexuality. A well-documented argument for countering and replacing the sexist-racist views of hyper-sexual, too-strong black women and sexually irresponsible, too-weak black men both within and outside black communities." -- Joe R. Feagin, author of Racist America "Patricia Hill Collins has done it again! In her brilliant new book, Collins deepens her analysis of the intersections and hierarchies of race, gender, sexuality and class, and extends her theoretical gaze with fresh and provocative interpretations of black popular culture. Black Sexual Politics charts the subtle evolution of a new racism that often goes undetected--and unaccounted for--while grappling with the complexities and contradictions within black life. This book is at once a theoretical tour de force and a must-read for all who care about the lives of black folk in the twenty-first century." -- Michael Eric Dyson, author of Why I Love Black Women "Collins expands the horizons of feminist and anti-racist thinking about some of the most disturbing issues of the contemporary post-civil rights era. Her focus on historical specificity of African American conditions and struggles illuminates the contours of--and strategies for--social justice projects in global as well as local political contexts. This book makes a distinguished contribution to critical theory and to classroom resources." -- Sandra Harding, editor of The FeministStandpoint Theory Reader "This well written text...[is] strongly recommend for public and academic libraries." -- Library Journal "Black Sexual Politics is one of the most steaming mad books on sexuality since the days of Andrea Dworkin...It constitutes a breakthrough." -- Village Voice "For the last 15 years Patricia Hill Collins has been one of the defining voices of contemporary feminist and race scholarship...As is true for many comparable works of such breadth, the primary contribution of 'Black Sexual Politics' is not so much the new data as it is the skillful synthesis and application of post civil rights scholarship on contemporary culture...The result is a race/class/gender/sexuality text-book on Black life that displays the ongoing relevance and utility of such scholarship when alchemically transformed through intersectionality. Indeed, I often thought while reading

Patricia Hill Collins is Distinguished University Professor at University of Maryland. She is author of Black Feminist Thought, which won the C. Wright Mills Award of the American Sociological Association, as well as Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search forJustice. She lectures widely in the U.S. and abroad.

Acknowledgements Introduction: No Turning Back I. African Americans and the New Racism 1. Why Black Sexual Politics? 2. The Past Is Ever Present: Recognizing the New Racism 3.Prisons for Our Bodies, Closets for Our Minds: Racism, Heterosexism, and Black Sexuality II. Rethinking Black Gender Ideology 4. Get Your Freak On: Sex, Babies, and Images of Black Femininity 5. Booty Call: Sex, Violence, and Images of Black Masculinity 6. Very Necessary: Redefining Black Gender Ideology III. Toward a Progressive Black Sexual Politics 7. Assume the Position: The Changing Contours of Sexual Violence 8. No Storybook Romance: How Race and Gender Matter 9. Why We Can't Wait: Black Sexual Politics and the Challenge of HIV/AIDS Afterword: The Power of a Free Mind Notes Glossary Bibliography Index