Thoughts on the Future of the Displines of Feminism

Taken from Beverly Guy-Sheftall’s Daughters of Sorrow, she mentions that there is still “exciting and challenging work yet to be done in black women’s studies.” She talks about the area of reconceptualizing black studies and women’s studies requiring attention it has yet to receive so that “the history, experiences, and cultures of black women will be more effectively taught and studied (Guy-Sheftall, Black Women's Studies).” This allows for the discipline of black studies and women’s studies to both display much more precisely the intricacy of black women and women around the world’s experiences. Beverly Guy-Sheftall recognizes that there is an ultimate challenge that scholars of both disciples have to identify with, which is that black women’s history belongs in the category of women’s history and not that of black history. That race should not interfere with gender. This also applies to the black female experience. “The black female experience, by the very same nature of its extremity, illuminates the subjugation of all women. Such a perspective would render black women’s studies unnecessary, or at the very least redundant, over the long run (Guy-Sheftall, 176).” Again Beverly Guy-Sheftall focuses on the discipline of black women’s studies and how it is being portrayed and taught through history, experience and cross-cultural awareness. These subjects are at the center of her understanding for black feminist thought and that much more can be done with them to better educate.

Work Reference:
Guy-Sheftall, Beverly. Daughters of Sorrow. Carlson Publishing Inc, 1990. Brooklyn, New York.

Guy-Sheftall, Beverly. Black Women's Studies: The Interface of Women's Studies and Black Studies. Phylon (1960-), Vol. 49, No. 1/2. (Spring-Summer, 1992), pp. 33-41 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-8906%28199221%2F22%2949%3A1%2F2%3C33%3ABWSTIO%3e2.0.CO%3B2-8