Student no.

130115245
How far is Barbara Smith able to go Toward a Black Feminist Criticism?
Barbara Smiths Toward a Black Feminist Criticism is widel acce!ted as bein"
one o# the $rst theoretical statements on Black #eminist criticism
1
% a!!earin" in
1&'' in Conditions% a #eminist ma"a(ine with a !articular #ocus on lesbian)
identi$ed writin". *n it% she ar"ues #or the e+istence o# a s!eci$call Black
#eminist critical tradition , that it both could and should e+ist as an alternati-e to
the white.male mainstream criticism o# the time , while at the same time ar"uin"
#or a wider !olitical mo-ement o# Black #eminism to su!!ort it. * be"in here b
outlinin" the ma/or strands o# her ar"ument% touchin" u!on her -iew o# criticism%
what it should be% and what that means #or Black women in terms o#
re!resentation and cultural.!olitical en"a"ement. * ho!e to success#ull outline a
selection o# !roblems with her ar"ument% the main em!hasis o# which will be her
reliance on a he"emonic% rather deterministic -iew o# Black women and their
situation at the time she was writin"% and this will be #ramed b a com!arison o#
her ar"ument and the main !rinci!les o# #eminist stand!oint theor. This criticism
will be in#ormed b a more "eneral criticism o# stand!oint theor as essentialist%
but a com!rehensi-e criticism o# such a com!le+ idea is well beond the sco!e o#
the current stud% so * ho!e to draw the less ambitious conclusion that because
o# these di0culties #or stand!oint theor% i# Smiths ar"ument can be understood
as success#ul at all it is as an ar"ument #or a -er s!eci$c subset o# criticism%
whose use#ulness is , and indeed% turned out to be , lar"el strate"ic #or a wider
!olitical mo-ement% rather than as a com!rehensi-e ar"ument #or a com!lete
and new critical tradition% with a certain de"ree o# lon"e-it. 1here Smith claims
to ha-e ar"ued #or the necessit #or a Black #eminist criticism% the sco!e o# her
ar"ument is so reduced that it is onl success#ul in demonstratin" the use#ulness
o# a !articular subset o# criticism.
1
2eborah 3 Cha% 45ereadin" Barbara Smith6 Black Feminist Criticism and the Cate"or
o# 7+!erience8% New Literary History% 24 91&&3: ! ;35
Student no. 130115245
*n her essa% Smith elucidates the necessit #or a s!eci$call 4Black #eminist
a!!roach to literature that embodies the reali(ation that the !olitics o# se+ as
well as the !olitics o# race and class are cruciall interlockin" #actors in the works
o# Black women writers8
2
. <er su!!ortin" ar"ument consists o# two ma/or !oints=
$rst% that the literar and cultural climate she was workin" in was !articularl
hostile to Black women writers who were !roducin" works that were bein" either
i"nored or #undamentall misunderstood b male critics% both black and white%
and white #eminists. <a-in" outlined the mriad was in which Black women
writers and their works are silenced% i"nored% or misread% she mo-es to her
second ma/or !oint that the e+istence o# a Black #eminist criticism would
!ositi-el contribute to the critical landsca!e b ser-in" 4to re-eal #or the $rst
time the !ro#ound subtleties o# this !articular bod o# literature8
3
. Throu"hout%
she makes !articular e>ort to link the e+istence o# this criticism to the
h!othesised e+istence o# a Black #eminist !olitical mo-ement% "oin" so #ar as to
claim there should be an almost smbiotic relation between the two. She claims
that 4a -iable% autonomous Black #eminist mo-ement in this countr would o!en
u! the s!ace needed #or the e+!loration o# Black womens li-es and the creation
o# consciousl Black woman)identi$ed art8
4
% and at the same time the resultant
4Black #eminist criticism would ?be@ contributin" ideas that women in the
mo-ement could use8
5
. *n this wa% then% the e+istence o# one #eeds the
e+istence o# the other% and while the remain two se!arate entities% the are
ine+tricabl linked. Chan"es in one necessitate chan"es in the other% and there
should be a constant transmission o# ideas and !ractices between them.
This transition #rom Black women writers in-isibilit to the claim that a Black
#eminist criticism is necessar to illuminate hitherto une+!lored le-els o# analsis
2
Barbara Smith% 4Toward A Black Feminist Criticism8% The Radical Teacher% ' 91&'B: ! 21
3
Smith% Toward% ! 22
4
Smith% Toward% ! 20
5
Smith% Toward% ! 23
Student no. 130115245
in works b black women relies on an assum!tion that Black women not onl
constitute in themsel-es an 4identi$able literar tradition8
;
% but that there is
somethin" about this literar tradition that is inaccessible to anone outside its
boundaries. That is to sa% it would not be enou"h to merel draw attention to
more works b Black women writers% because i# the critics were male 9black or
white:% or white #emales% the would be unable to #ull a!!rehend e-er le-el o#
meanin" that e+ists in the works o# Black women , indeed% much o# the $rst !art
o# her essa is dedicated to the mriad o# was in which works b Black women
such as Toni Corrison ha-e been mishandled b white male% black male% and
white #eminist critics. An im!ortant as!ect o# her ar"ument here is that these
critics ha-e #ailed to understand works b Black women in -irtue o# the #act that
the are not Black women.
The essas #ocus is !rimaril literar% and there#ore the reasons that Smith
!ro-ides #or thinkin" that Black women , as writers% readers% and critics , are the
sub/ects o# a s!eci$c e+!erience which in#orms their en"a"ement with literar
works are based lar"el on considerations o# literar criticism o# the time.
<owe-er% her desire to link their literar de-elo!ment with a !olitical
de-elo!ment su""ests a natural link with the stand!oint theor that would come
to the #ore o# #eminist thou"ht in the earl B0s with Danc <artsocks landmark
essa The Feminist Stand!oint6 2e-elo!in" the 3round #or a S!eci$call Feminist
<istorical Caterialism
'
. 1hile it would be a mistake to claim that Smith hersel#
subscribed e+!licitl to stand!oint theor , Toward ha-in" been !ublished ears
be#ore <artsocks essa ) * do wish to make the !oint that there are similarities
between her treatment o# Black women writers% and Black women in a wider
;
Smith% Toward% ! 22
'
Danc C. C. <artsock% 4The Feminist Stand!oint6 2e-elo!in" The 3round For A
S!eci$call Feminist <istorical Caterialism% 2isco-erin" 5ealit Snthese Eibrar% 1;1
91&B3:% accessed 20.01.14% htt!6..link.s!rin"er.com.cha!ter.10.100'.0)30;)4B01')4F15
Student no. 130115245
sense% and the basic !rinci!les o# stand!oint theor
B
. *t should also be made
clear that <artsocks !osition was an e!istemolo"ical one% while Smiths !osition
is -er much literar. 1hile <artsock was concerned with the !roduction o#
knowled"e% Smith was concerned with !roduction o#% and en"a"ement with%
literature. * belie-e% howe-er% that the stand!oint theor that be"an with
<artsock !ro-ides a use#ul #ramework within which to consider Smiths
ar"uments% in addition to a use#ul wa o# -iewin" the -arious criticisms that has
been le-elled at her.
3len CcClish and GacHueline Bacon ha-e succinctl de$ned stand!oint theor as
!ositin" that 4e!istemolo" de!ends u!on% in Sandra <ardin"s terms% Isociall
situated knowled"e that is determined b the knowers social !osition%
!articularl b the !ower relationshi!s that structure his or her li#e8
&
. The
!arallels between this e!istemolo"ical !osition and Smiths descri!tion o# Black
womens interaction with literature is clear. Smith asserts that a -ariet o#
interlockin" #actors such as Black womens !olitical% social% and economic
e+!erience come to"ether to de$ne the wa in which Black women en"a"e with
literature
10
% and there#ore the !ower relationshi!s that Black women are sub/ect
to de$ne how the write% read% and think about literar works. Smith is clear that
she is not re#errin" to !articular economic situations% or !articular !ower
relations that mi"ht e+ist #or indi-idual Black women. *nstead% she #ocuses on the
wider e+!eriences shared b Black women% citin" the e+am!le o# racism as a
result o# the histor o# American sla-er% and the resultin" ineHualities. *n
!articular% she re#ers to how these ineHualities ha-e a>ected the creati-e li-es o#
Black women , #or e+am!le% how the denial o# access to education #or Black
B
A more thorou"h e+amination o# how stand!oint theor can be a!!lied to rhetorical
studies% usin" Smiths article as an e+am!le% can be #ound in 3len CcClish and GacHueline
Bacon% 4Tellin" the Stor <er Jwn 1a6 The 5ole o# Feminist Stand!oint Theor in
5hetorical Studies8% Rhetoric Society Quarterly% 32 92002:% ! 2' ) 55
&
CcClish and Bacon% 4Tellin" The Stor8% ! 2B
10
Smith% Toward% ! 22
Student no. 130115245
women has a>ected their access to basic literac. She seems to "o on to su""est
that this shared histor in some wa results in a s!eci$call Black #emale wa o#
en"a"in" with literature% which was inaccessible to most critics at the time o#
writin".
A #urther #oundational !rinci!le o# stand!oint theor% identi$ed b CcClish and
Bacon% is that members o# a dominant% !ower#ul "rou! are blinded to the
knowled"e structures o# the sub/u"ated "rou! and as such% members o#
sub/u"ated "rou!s !ro-ide a more com!rehensi-e insi"ht into the social order
because the ha-e no -ested interest in maintainin" or /usti#in" the wa thin"s
are
11
. Smith% a"ain Huite clearl% makes similar !oints ar"uin" that the laers o#
meanin" unco-ered b a Black #eminist critical a!!roach would be una-ailable to
the white.male mainstream critical tradition% but also that e-en thou"h Black
women are able to access the ideas and methodolo" o# mainstream literar
thou"ht% the should a-oid doin" so
12
. This seems to su""est that Black women
are in some wa better !ositioned as critics o# Black woman)identi$ed art%
because the are able to "lean meanin" #rom works that ori"inate #rom this
white.male literar !aradi"m% but the are also able to contribute somethin"
uniHue thanks to their social !osition as Black women.
The reason * draw attention to the similarities between Smiths article and
#eminist stand!oint theor is to !ro!erl conte+tualise the $rst criticism o# the
te+t * wish to address= that Smiths treatment o# Black women writers relies on
Huite a narrow% essentialist de$nition o# their e+!erience% which ends u! limitin"
the sco!e o# her ar"ument. 2eborah 3 Cha has ar"ued that Smiths claim that
white.male critics are unable to !ro!erl access works b Black women
ultimatel ser-es to naturalise the di>erence between Black women and white
11
CcClish and Bacon% 4Tellin" The Stor8% ! 2B
12
Smith% Toward% ! 23
Student no. 130115245
men
13
. That is to sa% since Smith a!!ears to claim that white men ha-e
misunderstood works b Black women in -irtue o# their bein" white% the lo"ical
conclusion one must come to is that the could not ha-e done anthin" else= in
short% her ar"ument is hea-il deterministic
14
. She certainl seems to consider
the #act that white male critics had not considered works b Black women to be
unsur!risin"% statin" that it had not been done b 4white male critics%
e+!ectedl8
15
. Smiths intended conclusions with re"ards to the !roduction o#
literar works is clear% that Black women should be "i-en the s!ace to en"a"e
with such works% but this also #unctions in re-erse= white male critics should
allow them such s!ace% howe-er the basic structures o# mainstream literar
criticism should not be called into Huestion. She seems to be su""estin" that
Black women should become more -isible and Black womens writin" more #ull
understood% but that since white men are unable to do this% there would be no
!oint in chan"in" the sstem itsel#= a new% se!arate critical s!ace should be
created #or the treatment o# works b Black women writers% b Black women
critics. *# we acce!t that this is a -iable e+tension o# Smiths ar"ument then it
could also be ar"ued that% rather than remo-in" hersel# #rom and challen"in" the
ideas and methodolo" o# white.male criticism% she is allowin" it to continue
unabated% without considerin" wh these ideas and methodolo"ies came to
constitute the mainstream in the $rst !lace.
This reliance on the conce!t o# a shared e+!erience that in#orms the wa Black
women en"a"e with literature has been #urther criticised #or not achie-in" what
Smith intended it to achie-e= #or instance% Chris 1eedon has Huestioned the -er
de$nition o# the 4identi$able literar tradition8
1;
that Black women are su!!osed
to constitute. *# Black women constitute in themsel-es such an identi$able
13
Goan Scott% Huoted in Cha% 45ereadin" Barbara Smith8% ! ;3'
14
*bid% ! ;3&
15
Smith% Toward% ! 23
1;
Cha% 45ereadin" Barbara Smith8% ! ;45
Student no. 130115245
literar tradition% one would e+!ect there to be some notable common "round
between them. *# we turn to Smiths article she clearl identi$es !arallels
between the works o# Black women writers% identi#in" commonalities that e+ist
on thematic% stlistic% and aesthetic le-els. She cites the #reHuent a!!earance o#
moti#s such as rootworkin" and herbal medicine which she de$nes as 4traditional
Black #emale acti-ities8
1'
% as well as claimin" that a 4s!eci$call Black #emale
lan"ua"e8 runs throu"h works o# writers such as Toni Corrison% Car"aret 1alker%
and Kora Deale <urston. <owe-er% one mi"ht reasonabl wonder whether these
markers are su0cient to identi# such a Black woman)identi$ed literar tradition.
2e$nin" such strict !arameters has the e>ect o# not onl discountin" an literar
works written b Black women that do not satis# these two conditions% it once
a"ain ser-es to a0rm the di>erence between Black women writers and the white
male mainstream. 2e$nin" the literar tradition o# Black women as so mani#estl
di>erent to the mainstream% Smith seems to see them as o!eratin" entirel
inde!endentl o# one another. Jne mi"ht #urthermore reasonabl Huestion what
a 4s!eci$call Black #emale lan"ua"e8 means% and whether this mi"ht hold true
#or all Black women% re"ardless o# -ariables such as class. *ndeed% Lalerie Smith
has ar"ued that 4because 4race% "ender% class% and se+ualit are mutuall
constituti-e8 a 4homo"enous womens or black e+!erience8 is im!ossible to
s!eak o#
1B
% meanin" that Smith mi"ht ha-e identi$ed some commonalities
between certain writers% but that she has not su0cientl demonstrated that
these are shared b Black women writers o# di>erin" social classes% #or instance.
<a-in" outlined a #ew ma/or critiHues o# Smiths article% * would now like to turn
to an e+amination o# how her ar"uments mi"ht be de#ended% at least in !art%
a"ainst such criticism. 1hen readin" Smiths earl work% o# which Toward a Black
Feminist Criticism is a !er#ect e+am!le% it is im!ortant to kee! in mind the time
1'
Smith% Toward% ! 22
1B
CcClish and Bacon% 4Tellin" The Stor8% ! 2&
Student no. 130115245
in which she was writin". Smith hersel# be"ins the essa b outlinin" /ust how
no-el a !ro/ect it is to be talkin" about Black women writers% and e-en e+!resses
a sli"ht a!!rehension at /ust how bi" a task it a!!ears to be
1&
. Furthermore% she
sets her !ro/ect a"ainst the backdro! o# what criticism is% "enerall% and what it
should do= 4#or books to be real and remembered the ha-e to be talked about
?and@ #or books to be understood the must be e+amined in such a wa that the
basic intentions o# the writers are at least considered8
20
. *t is clear that Smith
considers her !ro/ect as breakin" new "round% but also that she is ambitious in
attem!tin" to car-e out a s!ace #or Black #eminist criticism that will ha-e lon")
lastin" and !ro#ound e>ects on a massi-e bod o# work. <er desire to link the
literar and the !olitical means that% at times% the article reads more like a
!olitical mani#esto meant to incite action and !ro"ress rather than a more
scholarl ar"ument. A #oundin" member o# the Combahee 5i-er Collecti-e% a
"rou! dedicated to reco"nisin" the intersectionalit o# o!!ression #acin" Black
women with !articular #ocus on a0rmin" lesbianism as a le"itimate identit%
Smith was hea-il in-ol-ed with !olitical acti-ism at the "rassroots le-el. *ndeed%
she a!!ears to ha-e made "reat e>orts to contribute to the creation o# a
s!eci$call Black #eminist mo-ement as well as a critical one% which is !recisel
what she ad-ocates in Toward. To su""est that one !erson could #ull e+!ress
e-er nuanced wa in which -arious social #actors combine to contribute to the
erasure o# certain minorities e+!eriences is surel to reHuire a lot% since it mi"ht
e-en be im!ossible #or someone to s!eak with that le-el o# ob/ecti-it. *# indeed
we #ollow Smiths reasonin" that white men are unable to #ull com!rehend the
e+!eriences o# Black women% then it seems onl natural that Smith hersel# is
unable to !ro-ide a #ull ob/ecti-e account o# Black womens en"a"ement with
literature that transcends thin"s like class.
1&
Smith% Toward% ! 20
20
*bid ! 20
Student no. 130115245
*# we see Smiths !ro/ect as !olitical as well as theoretical% which * consider a
reasonable readin" o# Toward% we mi"ht a"ain return to stand!oint theor as a
#ertile "round #or de#endin" Smith a"ainst these char"es o# essentialism.
Theorists such as Julia Wood and Cressida Heyes ha-e ar"ued that% while a
tendenc towards essentialism in stand!oint theor is worrin"% !erha!s it would
be use#ul to consider it as !oliticall !ra"matic to #ocus on social "rou!s
21
% as
<ees comments that 4we know that all e+!lanations o# e+!erience are !artial%
inter!retati-e% and contin"ent% but i# #eminists re/ect an criteria #or !ri-ile"in"
one account o-er another% the risk !lain" into #orms o# sub/ecti-ism or e+tant
dominant accounts that will onl weaken #eminist !olitical "oals8
22
. Smith
certainl antici!ates this di0cult when she criticises the mainstream #or
considerin" Black literature as a discrete subset o# American literature
23
.
Considerin" this desire to create a s!ace% both theoretical and !hsical% in which
Black #eminists would be allowed to e+ist and en"a"e with literature in an
or"anised wa% it does seem !ractical to be as s!eci$c as !ossible about the
boundaries o# that s!ace% in order to a-oid a situation whereb Black #eminist
criticism is itsel# an ill)de$ned and sli!!er notion= to make concrete !olitical
"ains% one must be sure what one is ad-ocatin" #or.
As a !olitical strate"% it was an ar"uabl success#ul one= indeed% when Smith
hersel# was writin" a"ain in 1&B&% she acknowled"es that the situation Black
womens literature had im!ro-ed beond what she had ima"ined to the !oint
where it was unreco"nisable com!ared to the state it had been in at the end o#
the '0s
24
. Toni Corrisons Belo-ed had been !ublished to critical acclaim two
ears !re-iousl% Alice 1alker was recei-in" "reat !raise #or her The Colour
Mur!le% and Smith hersel# had #ounded a Black #eminist !ress. Core cruciall%
21
CcClish and Bacon% 4Tellin" The Stor8% ! 2&
22
*bid% ! 2&.30
23
Smith% Toward% ! 20
24
Cha% 45ereadin" Barbara Smith8% ! ;3&
Student no. 130115245
howe-er% is the !roli#eration o# res!onses and critical essas that en"a"e with
Smiths ori"inal essa. 2. 7. Cc2owells Dew 2irections #or a Black Feminist
Criticism !ublished in 1&B0% #or e+am!le% uses Smiths ar"uments as a startin"
!oint% but seeks to re$ne some o# the conce!ts e+!ressed.
Alon" with a !recision o# the ori"inal tenets o# Smiths article% includin" a
discussion o# her em!hasis on lan"ua"e% she a0rms that 4we should heed
Annette Nolodns warnin" #or #eminist critics to Ibe war o# readin" literature as
thou"h it was !olemicO*# when usin" literar materials to make what is
essentiall a !olitical !oint% we $nd oursel-es -irtuall rewritin" a te+t% i"norin"
certain as!ects o# !lot or characterisation% or o-er)sim!li#in" the action to $t our
4!olitical8 thesis% then we are neither !racticin" an honest criticism nor sain"
anthin" use#ul about the nature o# art 9or about the art o# !olitical !ersuasion%
#or that matter:8
25
% which is her main !oint o# de!arture #rom Smith. 1hereas
Smiths !ro/ect was a conscious !oliticisation o# literar criticism% Cc2owell
warns a"ainst !olitics #or !olitics sake.
This seems to be a "enuine dan"er #or Smith in her ori"inal article% since she
binds Black #eminist criticism and a Black #eminist mo-ement so intimatel
to"ether. <er insistence that the two should mo-e% "row% and e+ist to"ether
lea-es o!en the !ossibilit that a Black #eminist critical -iew is #orced u!on
literar works where it makes -er little sense to do so. This mi"ht reasonabl be
considered a Paw stemmin" #rom Smiths desire to take on such an enormous
!ro/ect% and to break so much new "round% with one sin"le article. From the !oint
o# -iew o# a Black woman writer in the 1&'0s% it is not sur!risin" that she wrote
such an im!assioned demand #or !olitical as well as literar chan"e. <owe-er%
25
2eborah 7 Cc2owell% 4Dew 2irections For Black Feminist Criticism8% Black American
Literature Forum% 14 91&B0: ! 153
Student no. 130115245
the em!hasis on the !olitical necessit #or a Black #eminist criticism risks
obscurin" its literar merit.
That Smiths essa had a !ro#ound e>ect on the !olitical and literar
de-elo!ment o# Black women in the Qnited States is not under discussion. To
ha-e written such an essa in the midst o# such a hostile en-ironment towards
Black women writers was an im!ortant ste! in the de-elo!ment o# Black
womens writin". 3i-en a more detailed consideration o# Smiths ar"ument in the
li"ht o# #eminist stand!oint theor% it a!!ears as thou"h the sco!e o# her
conclusion is reduced% howe-er when considered in the li"ht o# its !olitical use%
the te+t can still be seen to ha-e been a !ower#ul tool #or the Black #eminist
writer o# the 1&'0s. *n #act% it is in -irtue o# the #act that the te+t was at once a
!olitical call to arms and a demand #or better re!resentation in terms o# literar
criticism that it was such an im!ortant moment in the histor o# Black #eminist
criticism.
Student no. 130115245
Biblio"ra!h
Cha% 2eborah 3. 45ereadin" Barbara Smith6 Black Feminist Criticism and the
Cate"or o# 7+!erience8% New Literary History% 24 91&&3:% ;35 , ;52.
CcClish% 3len and Bacon% GacHueline. 4Tellin" the Stor <er Jwn 1a6 The 5ole o#
Feminist Stand!oint Theor in 5hetorical Studies8% Rhetoric Society Quarterly% 32
92002:% 2' , 55.
<artsock% Danc C. C. 4The Feminist Stand!oint6 2e-elo!in" The 3round For A
S!eci$call Feminist <istorical Caterialism% Discovering Reality Synthese Lirary%
1;1 91&B3:% 2B3 , 310. Accessed 20.01.14%
htt!6..link.s!rin"er.com.cha!ter.10.100'.0)30;)4B01')4F15
Cc2owell% 2eborah 7. 4Dew 2irections For Black Feminist Criticism8% Black
American Literature Forum. 14 91&B0:% 153 , 15&.
Smith% Barbara. 4Toward A Black Feminist Criticism8% The Radical Teacher% '
91&'B:% 20 , 2'.