Am I Just A White Feminist?

The Matrix of Domination, written by Patricia Hill Collins, made me think a lot about myself as a feminist and the kind of values I like to base 'my feminism' around. Of course, most all feminism is good feminism, but discussing Collins' piece and its key points made me more aware, and a bit self-conscious, about intersectionality. As ideal as it would be for all the people in the world- male, female, whatever- to come together seamlessly to unite for equality for women's rights, it's not that simple. As a white female, that automatically gives me more privilege than a black female. As Mr. Heidkamp demonstrated in class with his privileges chart, the usual binaries of man/woman and black/white etc. get a little blurred when it comes to intersectional feminism. I think that this something that should be addressed way more than it is today. I can understand why it isn't, though. The idea of feminism alone gets bashed enough - "why not just call it humanism?" and "but what about men?" - so to push another sect, or simply another layer of feminism, to the world could be too much. 
But getting back to my original point about feeling a bit self-conscious reading this piece. I'm afraid that most of what I do and talk most about is just too white feminist-y. As Collins puts it, am I failing to see how my thoughts and actions uphold someone else’s subordination? Of course I want to say 'no', but since I've never been in the Other position, at least in being a girl, how can I be sure? I'm white, cis-gendered, and middle class. At this point, it could seem as though there is a competition for who is the most oppressed of them all, but that's not what intersectionality is about. I think it's about adjusting the lens that we see the world, and especially our privilege through, in order to better suit everyone. Educating yourself and being aware of both how you're oppressed and how you're not is a great step in the right direction. I feel it needs to be made more aware that in the world, and specifically the feminist movement, we're not all white, middle class, cis-gendered, and able bodied!

Where is the Power?

Throughout Toni Morrison's Beloved, the reader experiences a multitude of binaries addressed by Benjamin including Male/female and White/black. However, none of the characters from the 124 house is truly a figure of power besides in their own community. The only person from the home who seemed to possess power in their community was Baby Suggs, yet throughout the story the reader gets a greater understanding of how malleable that reality is when the group of power changes the environment. The Matrix of Domination attempts to portray how every person belongs to dominating groups as well as oppressed groups. Yet, there is still a slight disconnect between this theory and Denver. She does not belong to any group of power and occupies three qualities: woman, slave, and youth, which make her the oppressed in this novel. Beloved does not necessarily support the assertions of the Matrix of Domination and suggests that there are certain people who do not possess power in any context.

Importance of Community in a Competitive World

Patricia Collins made some very interesting and important arguments in her article. The one quote from Matrix of Domination that stuck out to me was the one about community related to Capitalism and oppression. She said, "The definition of community implicit in the market model sees community as arbitrary and fragile, structured fundamentally by competition and domination."

This is a very powerful quote that I think relates to all forms of community. In this context of capitalism and in the book Beloved, I believe her argument is valid. In a capitalist world, trading, investments, and all other types of interactions in business are either confidential or competitive. People often  want to have one on one structured battles and this leads to an oppressor and the oppressed. For me, this is where community is so important.

In a world where there is inequality and discrimination in all forms, community is vital. A group or individual on the top don't see community as important. However, for a diminished or lower group in society, the idea of coming together and uniting is essential. I think we see this in Beloved. The slaves and ex-slaves constantly look for that sense of belonging and equality but are denied by the white population. Collins is right when she says this applies to the market model. All in all, whether it's in slavery, a school, in the business world, or anywhere else, there needs to be a strong foundation of community in a society where we strive to be on the top and dominate.

Everyone Has Their Matrices

On thing that really stuck out to me when we read the article by Patricia Hill Collins about matrices of domination was the idea that everyone is a part of both a dominant and subordinate group. Once stated it seemed obvious, but I believe that it is a concept that is often overlooked. I think it may be a crucial concept to grasp in order to understand how yo fit into the multiple spheres you live in. It humbles those in power and empowers those who are oppressed.

It wasn't until later in part two of Beloved that I started to notice this idea coming to life in an interesting way. Denver, Sethe, and Beloved are in a power struggle to "own" one another. Sethe believes that Beloved is hers, but so does Denver. And Beloved believes that Sethe is hers and even says that Sethe has her face. The struggle for domination between the three women demonstrates a less obvious form of a matrix of domination. When one thinks of domination in a book such as Beloved  they most likely think of slavery, black and white, male and female; but power struggles can exist within a gender and a race.

Seeing a less conventional matrix of domination play out, where the reader gets to see the individual perspectives in an intimate and unusual way brings the idea of a matrix to life. When you are on one side of a power struggle it is easy to get lost in your feelings on the issue, but when you are able to see all sides of the struggle it makes the stubbornness of contrasting viewpoints come to life. As the rest of the novel progresses I look forward to seeing who comes out on top, if anyone.