In 1990, Collins published her first book, 'Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment'. While earning her PhD, Collins worked as an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati beginning in 1982. 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. From 1970 to 1976, she was a teacher and curriculum specialist at St Joseph Community School, among two others, in Boston. The only daughter of a factory worker and a secretary, Collins attended the Philadelphia public schools.Īfter 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. She first came to national attention for her book Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment, originally published in 1990.Ĭollins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1948. 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.Ĭollins' work primarily concerns issues involving feminism and gender within the African-American community. Patricia Hill Collins (born May 1, 1948) is currently a Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Intersectionality will be an invaluable resource for anyone grappling with the main ideas, debates, and new directions in this field.

Accessibly written and drawing on a plethora of lively examples to illustrate its arguments, the book highlights intersectionality's potential for understanding complex architecture of social and economic inequalities and bringing about social justice-oriented change. Analyzing the emergence, growth, and contours of the concept of intersectionality, the authors also consider its global reach through an array of new topics such as the rise of far-right populism, reproductive justice, climate change, and digital environments and cultures. But what exactly does it mean, and why has it emerged as such a vital lens through which to explore how social inequalities of race, class, gender, sexuality, age, ability, and ethnicity shape one another? In this fully revised and expanded second edition of their popular text, Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge provide a much-needed introduction to the field of intersectional knowledge and praxis.

The concept of intersectionality has become a central topic in academic and activist circles alike.

Patricia collins black feminist thought