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 #irst theoretical statements on Black #eminist criticism1$ a!!earin" in 1%&& in Conditions$ a #eminist ma"a'ine with a !articular #ocus on lesbian(identi#ied writin". )n it$ she ar"ues #or the e*istence o# a s!eci#icall 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 be ond the sco!e o# the current stud $ so ) ho!e to draw the less ambitious conclusion that because o# these di##iculties #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#ic 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 . /here 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. )n her essa $ Smith elucidates the necessit #or a s!eci#icall 0Black #eminist a!!roach to literature that embodies the reali'ation that the !olitics o# se* as well as the !olitics o# race

1eborah 2 Cha $ 03ereadin" Barbara Smith4 Black Feminist Criticism and the Cate"or o# 5*!erience6$ New Literary History$ 24 71%%38 ! 935

Student no. 130115245 and class are cruciall interlockin" #actors in the works o# Black women writers6 2. :er su!!ortin" ar"ument consists o# two ma.or !oints; #irst$ 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 m riad wa s 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" 0to re,eal #or the #irst time the !ro#ound subtleties o# this !articular bod o# literature63. 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 s mbiotic relation between the two. She claims that 0a ,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#ied art64$ and at the same time the resultant 0Black #eminist criticism would <be= contributin" ideas that women in the mo,ement could use65. )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# anal sis in works b black women relies on an assum!tion that Black women not onl constitute in themsel,es an 0identi#iable literar tradition69$ but that there is somethin" about this literar tradition that is inaccessible to an one 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 7black or white8$ or white #emales$ the would be unable to #ull a!!rehend e,er le,el
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Barbara Smith$ 0Toward > Black Feminist Criticism6$ The Radical Teacher$ & 71%&?8 ! 21 Smith$ Toward$ ! 22 4 Smith$ Toward$ ! 20 5 Smith$ Toward$ ! 23 9 Smith$ Toward$ ! 22

Student no. 130115245 o# meanin" that e*ists in the works o# Black women + indeed$ much o# the #irst !art o# her essa is dedicated to the m riad o# wa s in which works b Black women such as Toni @orrison ha,e been mishandled b white male$ black male$ and white #eminist critics. >n 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 essa s #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#ic 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 ?0s with Aanc :artsocks landmark essa The Feminist Stand!oint4 1e,elo!in" the 2round #or a S!eci#icall Feminist :istorical @aterialism&. /hile 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 sense$ and the basic !rinci!les o# stand!oint theor ?. )t should also be made clear that :artsocks !osition was an e!istemolo"ical one$ while Smiths !osition is ,er much literar . /hile :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. 2len @cClish and BacCueline Bacon ha,e succinctl de#ined stand!oint theor as !ositin" that 0e!istemolo" de!ends u!on$ in Sandra :ardin"s terms$ Dsociall situated knowled"e
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Aanc C. @. :artsock$ 0The Feminist Stand!oint4 1e,elo!in" The 2round For > S!eci#icall Feminist :istorical @aterialism$ 1isco,erin" 3ealit S nthese Eibrar $ 191 71%?38$ accessed 20-01-14$ htt!4--link.s!rin"er.com-cha!ter-10.100&-0(309(4?01&(4F15 ? > 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 2len @cClish and BacCueline Bacon$ 0Tellin" the Stor :er Gwn /a 4 The 3ole o# Feminist Stand!oint Theor in 3hetorical Studies6$ Rhetoric Society Quarterly$ 32 720028$ ! 2& ( 55

Student no. 130115245 that is determined b the knowers social !osition$ !articularl b the !ower relationshi!s that structure his or her li#e6%. 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#ine the wa in which Black women en"a"e with literature10$ and there#ore the !ower relationshi!s that Black women are sub.ect to de#ine 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# >merican sla,er $ and the resultin" ineCualities. )n !articular$ she re#ers to how these ineCualities 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 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#icall Black #emale wa o# en"a"in" with literature$ which was inaccessible to most critics at the time o# writin". > #urther #oundational !rinci!le o# stand!oint theor $ identi#ied b @cClish 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 are11. Smith$ a"ain Cuite clearl $ makes similar !oints ar"uin" that the la ers 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" so12. This seems to su""est that Black women are in some wa better !ositioned as critics o# Black woman(identi#ied art$ because the are able to "lean meanin"
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@cClish and Bacon$ 0Tellin" The Stor 6$ ! 2? Smith$ Toward$ ! 22 11 @cClish and Bacon$ 0Tellin" The Stor 6$ ! 2? 12 Smith$ Toward$ ! 23
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Student no. 130115245 #rom works that ori"inate #rom this white-male literar !aradi"m$ but the are also able to contribute somethin" uniCue 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 #irst criticism o# the te*t ) wish to address; that Smiths treatment o# Black women writers relies on Cuite a narrow$ essentialist de#inition o# their e*!erience$ which ends u! limitin" the sco!e o# her ar"ument. 1eborah 2 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 men13. 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 an thin" else; in short$ her ar"ument is hea,il deterministic14. 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 0white male critics$ e*!ectedl 615. 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 Cuestion. 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 s stem 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 #irst !lace.

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Boan Scott$ Cuoted in Cha $ 03ereadin" Barbara Smith6$ ! 93& )bid$ ! 93% 15 Smith$ Toward$ ! 23

Student no. 130115245 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 /eedon has Cuestioned the ,er de#inition o# the 0identi#iable literar tradition619 that Black women are su!!osed to constitute. )# Black women constitute in themsel,es such an identi#iable literar tradition$ one would e*!ect there to be some notable common "round between them. )# we turn to Smiths article she clearl identi#ies !arallels between the works o# Black women writers$ identi# in" commonalities that e*ist on thematic$ st listic$ and aesthetic le,els. She cites the #reCuent a!!earance o# moti#s such as rootworkin" and herbal medicine which she de#ines as 0traditional Black #emale acti,ities61&$ as well as claimin" that a 0s!eci#icall Black #emale lan"ua"e6 runs throu"h works o# writers such as Toni @orrison$ @ar"aret /alker$ and Hora Aeale :urston. :owe,er$ one mi"ht reasonabl wonder whether these markers are su##icient to identi# such a Black woman( identi#ied literar tradition. 1e#inin" 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 a##irm the di##erence between Black women writers and the white male mainstream. 1e#inin" 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. Gne mi"ht #urthermore reasonabl Cuestion what a 0s!eci#icall Black #emale lan"ua"e6 means$ and whether this mi"ht hold true #or all Black women$ re"ardless o# ,ariables such as class. )ndeed$ Ialerie Smith has ar"ued that 0because 0race$ "ender$ class$ and se*ualit are mutuall constituti,e6 a 0homo"enous womens or black e*!erience6 is im!ossible to s!eak o#1?$ meanin" that Smith mi"ht ha,e identi#ied some commonalities between certain writers$ but that she has not su##icientl demonstrated that these are shared b Black women writers o# di##erin" social classes$ #or instance. :a,in" outlined a #ew ma.or critiCues 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
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Cha $ 03ereadin" Barbara Smith6$ ! 945 Smith$ Toward$ ! 22 1? @cClish and Bacon$ 0Tellin" The Stor 6$ ! 2%

Student no. 130115245 criticism. /hen 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 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 be1%. Furthermore$ she sets her !ro.ect a"ainst the backdro! o# what criticism is$ "enerall $ and what it should do; 0#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 considered620. )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. > #oundin" member o# the Combahee 3i,er Collecti,e$ a "rou! dedicated to reco"nisin" the intersectionalit o# o!!ression #acin" Black women with !articular #ocus on a##irmin" 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#icall 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 reCuire 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. )# 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
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Smith$ Toward$ ! 20 )bid ! 20

Student no. 130115245 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 worr in"$ !erha!s it would be use#ul to consider it as !oliticall !ra"matic to #ocus on social "rou!s21$ as :e es comments that 0we 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 !la in" into #orms o# sub.ecti,ism or e*tant dominant accounts that will onl weaken #eminist !olitical "oals622. Smith certainl antici!ates this di##icult when she criticises the mainstream #or considerin" Black literature as a discrete subset o# >merican literature23. Considerin" this desire to create a s!ace$ both theoretical and !h sical$ 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#ic 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#ined and sli!!er notion; to make concrete !olitical "ains$ one must be sure what one is ad,ocatin" #or. >s a !olitical strate" $ it was an ar"uabl success#ul one; indeed$ when Smith hersel# was writin" a"ain in 1%?%$ she acknowled"es that the situation Black womens literature had im!ro,ed be ond 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 &0s24. Toni @orrisons Belo,ed had been !ublished to critical acclaim two ears !re,iousl $ >lice /alker was recei,in" "reat !raise #or her The Colour Jur!le$ and Smith hersel# had #ounded a Black #eminist !ress. @ore cruciall $ howe,er$ is the !roli#eration o# res!onses and critical essa s that en"a"e with Smiths ori"inal essa . 1. 5. @c1owells Aew 1irections #or a Black Feminist Criticism !ublished in 1%?0$ #or e*am!le$ uses Smiths ar"uments as a startin" !oint$ but seeks to re#ine some o# the conce!ts e*!ressed.

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@cClish and Bacon$ 0Tellin" The Stor 6$ ! 2% )bid$ ! 2%-30 23 Smith$ Toward$ ! 20 24 Cha $ 03ereadin" Barbara Smith6$ ! 93%

Student no. 130115245 >lon" with a !recision o# the ori"inal tenets o# Smiths article$ includin" a discussion o# her em!hasis on lan"ua"e$ she a##irms that 0we should heed >nnette Kolodn s warnin" #or #eminist critics to Dbe war o# readin" literature as thou"h it was !olemicL)# when usin" literar materials to make what is essentiall a !olitical !oint$ we #ind 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 #it our 0!olitical6 thesis$ then we are neither !racticin" an honest criticism nor sa in" an thin" use#ul about the nature o# art 7or about the art o# !olitical !ersuasion$ #or that matter8625$ which is her main !oint o# de!arture #rom Smith. /hereas Smiths !ro.ect was a conscious !oliticisation o# literar criticism$ @c1owell 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 #law 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$ 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 Mnited 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". 2i,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
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1eborah 5 @c1owell$ 0Aew 1irections For Black Feminist Criticism6$ Black American Literature Forum$ 14 71%?08 ! 153

Student no. 130115245 better re!resentation in terms o# literar criticism that it was such an im!ortant moment in the histor o# Black #eminist criticism.

Biblio"ra!h Cha $ 1eborah 2. 03ereadin" Barbara Smith4 Black Feminist Criticism and the Cate"or o# 5*!erience6$ New Literary History$ 24 71%%38$ 935 + 952. @cClish$ 2len and Bacon$ BacCueline. 0Tellin" the Stor :er Gwn /a 4 The 3ole o# Feminist Stand!oint Theor in 3hetorical Studies6$ Rhetoric Society Quarterly$ 32 720028$ 2& + 55.

Student no. 130115245 :artsock$ Aanc C. @. 0The Feminist Stand!oint4 1e,elo!in" The 2round For > S!eci#icall Feminist :istorical @aterialism$ Discovering Reality Synthese Li rary$ 191 71%?38$ 2?3 + 310. >ccessed 20-01-14$ htt!4--link.s!rin"er.com-cha!ter-10.100&-0(309(4?01&(4F15 @c1owell$ 1eborah 5. 0Aew 1irections For Black Feminist Criticism6$ Black American Literature Forum. 14 71%?08$ 153 + 15%. Smith$ Barbara. 0Toward > Black Feminist Criticism6$ The Radical Teacher$ & 71%&?8$ 20 + 2&.