Patricia Hill Collins
contemporaryBlack Feminist Philosophy, Critical Social Theoryb. 1948
Patricia Hill Collins (born 1948) is an American sociologist and social theorist whose work centers on intersectionality, Black feminist thought, and the matrix of domination. She is Distinguished University Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland and a past president of the American Sociological Association. Her scholarship examines how race, gender, class, and other axes of power intersect to shape knowledge production and social inequality.
Notable Achievements
1
Developed the concept of the 'matrix of domination' to analyze interlocking systems of oppression
2
Authored Black Feminist Thought (1990), a foundational text in feminist epistemology and standpoint theory
3
Expanded intersectionality theory as a critical analytic tool across sociology and philosophy
4
First African American woman to serve as president of the American Sociological Association (2009)
5
Theorized 'outsider-within' standpoint epistemology, foregrounding marginalized perspectives in knowledge production