Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins & How It Can Help Us Fight Authoritarianism

Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought (1990) is a foundational work in intersectional feminism, but it’s also an anti-authoritarian guidebook in disguise.

Collins explores how race, gender, sexuality, and class oppression intersect, and dissects the systems that uphold them. Her work reveals how authoritarianism thrives by controlling knowledge, marginalizing voices, and maintaining oppressive hierarchies.

By understanding how power operates and who it silences, we can better resist authoritarianism in all its forms, whether it manifests as racism, sexism, capitalism, or state violence.

Let’s break it down.

The Politics of Knowledge: Who Controls Reality?

“Black feminist thought fosters a fundamental paradigmatic shift in how we think about oppression.”

Collins argues that power isn’t just about laws and police; it’s about who controls knowledge.

Authoritarian systems define “truth” to maintain power.

• They silence marginalized voices and make their experiences invisible.
• They promote dominant narratives that justify oppression.
• They use media, schools, and academia to reinforce who gets to be seen as an authority.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Fascist regimes rewrite history to justify their rule.
• Racism and sexism are maintained through “scientific” and “intellectual” justifications.
• Controlling what people know keeps them from fighting back.

If we don’t challenge who controls knowledge, we allow oppression to disguise itself as truth.

The Matrix of Domination: How Oppression Works Together

“Oppression is not simply about race, class, or gender—it is about the interlocking systems that maintain them.”

Collins introduces the Matrix of Domination, a theory of how multiple forms of oppression reinforce each other.

• White supremacy is tied to capitalism, which depends on gendered labor, which is reinforced by heteronormativity and all of these maintain state power.
• Authoritarianism doesn’t rely on just one form of oppression. It uses all of them.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Fascism depends on patriarchy—it thrives on rigid gender roles and control of women’s bodies.
• Racism strengthens capitalism—exploited labor ensures an underclass with no political power.
• Heteronormativity enforces obedience—queerness and gender nonconformity are punished because they disrupt control.
• Fighting one form of oppression isn’t enough—resistance must be intersectional.

Controlling Representation: The Myth of the “Welfare Queen”

“By controlling images, elites shape perceptions of reality.”

Collins breaks down how oppressive systems use stereotypes to justify inequities. One example is the “Welfare Queen” myth—a racist and sexist stereotype that portrays Black women as lazy, undeserving, and dependent on the state.

Why was this narrative created?

• To justify cutting social programs that help the poor.
• To redirect anger away from corporate elites and toward marginalized people.
• To reinforce patriarchal norms by portraying independent women as a threat.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Scapegoating is a core authoritarian tactic.
• Authoritarians blame the most vulnerable (immigrants, women, queer folx, the poor) to justify economic cruelty.
• Dehumanizing narratives make oppression seem “natural.”

We must challenge propaganda that portrays marginalized people as the enemy. These narratives serve the elite.

Black Women’s Standpoint: Centering the Most Oppressed in Resistance

“Those who have been marginalized have a unique view of power.”

Collins argues that those who experience oppression firsthand are the best equipped to challenge it.

Why is Black feminist thought revolutionary?

• It is developed outside of dominant institutions, meaning it isn’t controlled by the state.
• It rejects individualism, focusing instead on community survival.
• It values lived experience, not just academic credentials.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• The most oppressed people often see the truth before anyone else.
• Authoritarian regimes try to silence these voices first.
• Movements must be led by those who have the most to lose.

The people most affected by oppression must be the architects of resistance.

Intersectionality as a Weapon Against Authoritarianism

“If we’re not intersectional, some of us, the most vulnerable, are going to fall through the cracks.” –Kimberlé Crenshaw

Collins’ work laid the foundation for intersectionality, which feminist legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw later expanded upon.

Why intersectionality is essential:

• Authoritarianism thrives on division.
• If movements don’t include all oppressed people, they fail.
• Solidarity across race, gender, and class is the biggest threat to power.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Movements that exclude certain groups (e.g., white feminism, class-blind socialism) can be co-opted.
• Uniting struggles disrupts the “divide and conquer” strategy used by the elite.
• Feminism, labor rights, and racial justice must be part of the same fight.

Authoritarians fear intersectional movements because they are harder to suppress.

From Awareness to Action: What Resistance Looks Like

“Oppression can only exist if it is not recognized as oppression.”

• Collins doesn’t just analyze oppression, she pushes for action.
• Decolonizing knowledge: Who controls what we learn? Challenge it.
• Building grassroots movements: Change won’t come from the elite.
• Rejecting respectability politics: We don’t need to prove our humanity.
• Speaking truth to power: Naming oppression is the first step in dismantling it.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Resistance must be decentralized and community-driven.
• Challenging dominant narratives is key to breaking oppressive structures.
• Political education is a weapon and knowledge makes resistance possible.

Fighting authoritarianism requires not just awareness, but action.

How Black Feminist Thought Helps Us Fight Authoritarianism Today

Patricia Hill Collins didn’t just write about Black feminism, she wrote a blueprint for dismantling oppressive systems.

• Authoritarianism is built on controlling knowledge—we must challenge who defines reality.
• Oppression is interlocking—resistance must be intersectional.
• Propaganda shapes public perception—we must dismantle harmful narratives.
• Marginalized voices must be at the center—the most oppressed have the clearest vision.
• Solidarity is our greatest weapon—movements must unite race, gender, and class struggles.

Black Feminist Thought is a roadmap for collective liberation. If we want to resist authoritarianism, we must build movements that challenge oppression at every level.

Or, as Collins puts it:

“The most radical thing we can do is believe that change is possible and fight for it together.”