Honors College Theses
Publication Date
5-9-2025
Major
Philosophy (B.A.)
Release Option
Archived
Faculty Mentor
Curtis Finbarr
Abstract
The marginalization of Black women within the feminist movement. Black women’s exclusion will be traced through the first, second, and third waves, respectively. I argue that the feminist movement has consistently devalued Black women as knowledge knowers as well as centers for knowledge production. I draw on the work of Black feminist scholars Patricia Hill Collins and Kimberlé Crenshaw to connect the various systems of oppression, namely patriarchy and white supremacy. The first and second waves aimed to achieve gender equality but invalidated Black women’s lived experience and instead framed the goals according to the concerns of middle-class white women. The third wave began with the recognition of Black women’s marginalization and the intersectional experience of oppression. As such, Crenshaw’s intersectionality framework was adopted. Unfortunately, the third wave continued the historical delegitimization of Black women through its failure to meaningfully implement the aforementioned framework. I illustrate this failure through the recent dismantling of Affirmative Action and the existence of the #MeToo movement. I conclude Black women’s historical exclusion from the feminist movement demonstrates the necessity of an intersectional framework with a material commitment to epistemic inclusion. It’s only through the recognition of Black women as legitimate knowers that the fight for equality can make meaningful progress.
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Arianna, "Incomplete Feminism: On the Epistemic Exclusion of Black Women" (2025). Honors College Theses. 1057.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/1057
