bell hooks Bringing Feminism to the Dinner Table

bell hooks is a contemporary feminist theorist who deals with issues of race, gender, class, and sexual oppression. Born Gloria Watkins, she took her pen name from her maternal great-grandmother as a way to honor her women ancestors and chose to use lowercase letters to get away from the ego associated with names. She has provided commentary on a wide range of topics from popular culture and writing to self-esteem and teaching. Biography bell hooks was born in Kentucky on September 25, 1952. Her early life was marked by dysfunction. Her father, in particular, represented the fierce oppression she would come to associate with the patriarchy. A need to escape her tumultuous home life was what first led hooks to poetry and writing. This love of the written word would later inspire her to comment on the healing power of critical thinking. In her early years, hooks combined her love of reading with public speaking, often reciting poems and scriptures in her church congregation. Growing up in the south also instilled in her a fear of doing or saying the wrong thing. These early fears almost discouraged her from pursuing her love of writing. She received almost no support from her family, who felt that women were better suited for a more traditional role. The social atmosphere of the then-segregated south added to their discouragement. hooks chose to rebel against this by adopting her great-grandmothers name and creating another self that was linked to female ancestors who were defiant in their need to achieve speech. By creating this other self, hooks empowered herself to fight back against the opposition that surrounded her. First Book hooks began to write her first book, Aint I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, while she was an undergraduate at Stanford. After receiving her baccalaureate degree in 1973, hooks enrolled in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, where she earned a Masters in English. She next entered a doctoral program at the University of California at Santa Cruz. For the next few years, hooks worked hard on her dissertation about the novelist Toni Morrison. At the same time, she completed her manuscript of Aint I a Woman and published a book of poetry. College Teaching While seeking a publisher, hooks began teaching and lecturing at various colleges along the West Coast. She finally found a publisher for her book in 1981 and two years later received her doctorate. It took hooks eight years to publish Aint I a Woman, which was part of her efforts to bring the cultural concerns of African American women into the mainstream feminist movement. hooks had long been troubled by the absence of women of color in womens studies courses. Like others before her, hooks found the mainstream feminist movement had focused mostly on the plight of a group of white, college-educated, middle- and upper-class women who had little to no stake in the concerns of women of color. Research and Writing on Women of Color In her research, hooks found that historically, women of color often found themselves in a double-bind. By supporting the suffrage movement, they would have to ignore the racial aspect of womanhood and if they supported the Civil Rights movement, they would be subjected to the same patriarchal order that dogged all women. By shining a light on the racism inherent in the mainstream feminist movement, hooks found herself faced with monumental resistance. Many feminists found her book to be divisive and some questioned its academic integrity due to the absence of footnotes. However, this unorthodox writing style would soon become a trademark of hookss style. She maintains that her method of writing is meant to make her work accessible to everyone, regardless of class, access, and literacy. In her next book, Feminist Theory From Margin to Center, hooks wrote a philosophical work that was grounded in black feminist thought. It was about the need to articulate and recognize a feminist theory of empowerment that was accessible to people of color. In this book, hooks argues that feminists have not succeeded in creating political solidarity with women of different ethnicities or socioeconomic classes. She feels there needs to be a more transformative politics that is not as rooted in Western ideology. hooks has always argued for solidarity: between genders, between races, and between classes. She believes that antimale sentiments reinstitute the ideology that feminism aims to change. hooks states that if there is to be liberation for women, men must also play a role in the struggle to expose, confront, oppose, and transform sexism. Though she has often been accused of being confrontational, hooks has never wavered in her belief that change is a painful and disconcerting process. She continues to believe in the transformative power of language and has become a master at turning private pain into public energy. hooks has always believed that silence is crucial to the ongoing practices of domination. She remains interested in bridging the gap between the public and the private. For hooks, using her status as a public intellectual to link communal voices is a way to educate and empower. Speech, hooks believes, is a way to transform from object to subject. In 1991, hooks collaborated with Cornel West for a book entitled Breaking Bread, which was written as a dialogue. Both were primarily concerned with the notion of a black intellectual life centered in the African American community. They believe rigid lines of separation found in public intellectualism have compromised this intellectual life. hooks argues that black women, in particular, have been silenced as serious critical thinkers. For hooks, this invisibility is both due to institutionalized racism and sexism, which is reflected in black womens lives both inside and outside of the academy. hookss focus on marginality inside and outside of the academy led her to study more closely the nuances of domination found within popular culture. In subsequent works, hooks has critiqued representations of blackness, focusing particularly on gender. hooks continues to produce many books and other writings. She still believes that critical examination is key to gaining self-empowerment and overthrowing systems of domination. In 2004, hooks began teaching as a distinguished professor in residence at Berea College. She continues to be a provocative feminist theorist and still gives lectures. Books and Publications And There We Wept: PoemsAint I a Woman?: Black Women and FeminismFeminist Theory: From Margin to CenterTalking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking BlackYearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural PoliticsBreaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life (with Cornel West)Black Looks: Race and RepresentationSisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-recoveryA Womans Mourning SongTeaching to Transgress: Education As the Practice of FreedomOutlaw Culture: Resisting RepresentationsArt on My Mind: Visual PoliticsKilling Rage: Ending RacismReel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the MoviesBone Black: Memories of GirlhoodWounds of Passion: A Writing LifeHappy to be NappyRemembered Rapture: The Writer at WorkAll About Love: New VisionsFeminism is for Everybody: Passionate PoliticsWhere We Stand: Class MattersSalvation: Black People and LoveJustice: Childhood Love LessonsBe Boy BuzzCommunion: The Female Search for LoveHomemade LoveRock My Soul: Black People and Self-esteemThe Will to Change: Men, Masculin ity, and LoveTeaching Community: A Pedagogy of HopeSkin AgainSpaceWe Real Cool: Black Men and MasculinitySoul Sister: Women, Friendship, and FulfillmentWitnessGrump Groan GrowlTeaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom Sources Davis, Amanda. bell hooks. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature. Westport (Conn.): Greenwood press, 2005. 787-791. Print.Henderson, Carol E.. bell hooks. Dictionary of Literary Biography: Volume 246. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 219-228. Print.Shelton, Pamela L., and Melissa L. Evans. bell hooks. Feminist writers. Detroit: St. James Press, 1996. 237-239. Print.Thompson, Clifford, John Wakeman, and Vineta Colby. bell hooks. World Authors. [Verschiedene Aufl.] ed. New York: Wilson, 1975. 342-346. Print. Suggested Reading: bell hooks Quotes5 Important Books About African American FeminismKey Feminist TheoristsFamous African American WomenFamous Feminists and the History of Feminism

The True Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet - 819 Words

â€Å"What do you want to be when you grow up?† is the question we hear so many times as children. Yet, growing up does not necessarily mean becoming an adult. Rather, growing up is the change within one’s self that is illustrated by a heightened awareness, the ability to think reasonably, and the proficiency to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. In adolescence, we turn to the adults in our lives to aid us in understanding our choices as we become increasingly responsible for our own actions. During this time in our lives, adults with worldly experience direct us down the path of good judgment in order that we may learn how to make good decisions. They near essential to us, even though not everyone has this advantage. William Shakespeare’s famous and celebrated tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, depicts several instances in which the title characters, though still naà ¯ve, behave more responsibly and maturely than the misguided adult figures in their livesâ₠¬â€œthose of the Houses of Capulet and Montague, especially Juliet’s parents, and the culpable Friar Laurence. The earliest representation of the immature rashness of the Capulets and Montagues occurs at the beginning of the play. Two men of the House of Capulet consciously make the decision to goad a few men of the House of Montague into engaging in combat. Moments after the brawl begins, several Capulets and Montagues rush to join in the fighting without any hesitation or second thoughts. This entire fight scene shows theShow MoreRelatedRomeo and Juliet: A True Tragedy Essay1536 Words   |  7 PagesRomeo and Juliet: A True Tragedy An Aristotelian tragedy consists of several different aspects. 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Business Planning & Strategy -Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Is the current wayWestpacreports on sustainability an example of best practice?What, if any, changes do you recommend? Answer: Introduction: Sustainability planning takes of the future uncertainties. Thus, it is a complete process, which an organisation undertakes on in a span of over several months (Baumgartner 2014). The current assignment aims to identify as well as evaluate the most considerable recent or expected developments in sustainability reporting in Australia. After such evaluation, the sustainability strategies at Westpac have been assessed to find out whether the bank has adopted such identified developments to improve its overall sustainability reporting. The final segment of the assignment sheds light on suggesting some sustainability strategies for the bank that would help in improving its overall business performance in the eyes of its stakeholders in future (Neugebauer, Figge and Hahn 2016). Most significant current or expected developments in sustainability reporting: There are numerous existing or expected developments in the global including Australian sustainability reporting strategy, out of which two of the most significant strategies are discussed as follows: Sustainability data exchange: The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has published the upcoming era of corporate disclosure in the form of responsible, interactive and digital disclosures through a digital publication. This depicts an overview of the future sustainability reporting and disclosure (Iasplus.com 2017). As per GRI, the future would take into account new formats with the firms, as they are needed to shift from annual reports to sustainability data exchange. The concentration would be to focus on the primary challenges like human rights and climate change. It has been observed that GRI is involved in producing articles, videos and analysis papers throughout 2015 by interviewing with the business executives and other professionals belonging to different fields and industries and this reporting format is expected to be initiated by the end of 2025 (Lozano 2015). During this period, the organisations and the investors would include the critical sustainability information into the utmost core of their processes of decision-making and definition of strategy. Moreover, the organisations are needed to make additional disclosures about the impact on society and the global natural resources. The stakeholders would find the access to the information about business performance from diverse sources (Benn, Dunphy and Griffiths 2014). Thus, this existing development would be of immense value for the stakeholders, as they could dissect the value creation of the organisations in a more effective and broader manner. Advancement of corporate reporting on sustainable development goals: The collaboration of the GRI and the United Nations Global Compact has initiated SDG Leadership through Reporting. This has been a new initiative in advancing and promoting the corporate reporting on sustainable development goals. The two organisations would work in partnership for creating a list of disclosures in order to track business contributions to the SDGs and a publication would be released on the reporting pertaining to SDG (Orsato et al. 2015). Both the organisations would penetrate into their respective networks for developing multi-stakeholder working groups that take into account leading businesses, reporting experts and data users that would work to modify corporate reporting on SDGs. In addition, these organisations would form partnership with Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) for enhancing the value of disclosures related to corporate sustainability (Neugebauer, Figge and Hahn 2016). Sustainability strategies at Westpac: According to the sustainability strategy evaluated from the annual report of Westpac, the bank has created a five-year sustainability strategy with three measurable objectives across three broad priority areas (annualreport.westpacgroup.com.au 2017). These objectives take into account the following: Improving the lifestyle of the society and the people: In order to make this strategy a success, Westpac has been involved in partnership with Career Seekers for facilitating paid internships for the refugees and asylum-seekers like mid-career professionals or students. In addition, it has developed a new technique of enabling the culturally diverse customers to gain an insight of the products and services through a statement of product disclosure using more images and diagrams. This matches with the expected development of sustainability data exchange, as Westpac has developed new formats to make additional disclosures to the customers about its products (Christ, Burritt and Varsei 2017). Figure 1: Contribution of Westpac to the society and individuals (Source: 2016annualreport.westpacgroup.com.au 2017) Environmental solutions: Westpac has managed to raise $500 million through the Westpac Climate Bond Issue. The funds accumulated have been distributed to five carbon commercial properties and seven wind energy facilities in compliance with the Climate Bonds Standard (v1). Moreover, the bank has participated to support transition of a clean energy future (Dasgupta and Vaghela 2015). For instance, it has raised the percentage of renewable energy financing from 45% to 59% in the portfolio of overall electricity generation since 2011. Furthermore, it has formed a new program of energy efficiency for its business customers. Verdia, a well-known energy specialist in Australia, has provided assistance to the bank in this program as well. The intention is to provide the business customers with an overview of identifying, funding and installing equipment for enhancing the energy efficiency of their businesses (Epstein and Buhovac 2014). These initiatives match with the sustainability data exchange related to climate change, as Westpac is involved in financing businesses to adopt environmental-friendly solutions. Figure 2: Contribution of Westpac to the environmental concerns (Source: 2016annualreport.westpacgroup.com.au 2017) Better financial future: Westpac has initiated Wealth Review for BT Financial Group in order to help them in obtaining an insight of its financial position and the necessities to accomplish the financial objectives. Moreover, it has launched CashNav, an application for the Kiwi customers in managing spending by automatic categorisation of banking transactions into needs and notifying customers about their spending (Dumay 2016). Furthermore, it has released Financial Inclusion Action Plan in 2016 for enhancing financial access and resilience to fund the individuals going through financial hardship. Thus, it has created additional disclosures in its sustainability performance report about the advancement of corporate reporting on sustainable development goals. However, it has not involved the data users to involve in corporate reporting and thus, this advancement has only been partially achieved (Klettner, Clarke and Boersma 2014). Figure 3: Contribution of Westpac to enhance financial future (Source: 2016annualreport.westpacgroup.com.au 2017) Recommended Sustainability Strategies at Westpac: This segment of the assignment sheds light on suggesting some sustainability strategies for the bank that would help in improving its overall business performance in the eyes of its stakeholders in future. Such recommendations are explained below: Maintaining societal change through analysing the future requirements of aging and culturally diverse consumers is one of the effective sustainability strategies of Westpac Bank. Considering such strategy, the bank focuses on developing services and financial products that supports financial wellbeing increase. The bank should also focus on analysing the physical, market along with regulatory effects of climate change. Effective financial futures strategies are to be developed by Westpac bank in order to offer solutions that can facilitate consumers for adapting with environmental challenges. Considering such strategy the company will consider launching important services or products that can facilitate to respond to several pressures arising from the environmental challenges. Environmental solutions are also recommended for Westpac bank that is focussed on decreasing environmental footprint. The bank must consider offering a range of advice related solutions based on the ways in which consumers might prefer advancing by the banks advice along with private bank businesses. In order to attain sustenance financial futures serves as a different challenge for Westpac bank. Geography and poor infrastructure of the region along with maintaining sustenance livelihoods is resulting in difficult financial inclusion of people. For such reasons, strategy of Westpac Company must be focused on offering access to affordable and basic banking to all its target consumers among which 50% will be women. Moreover, the banks strategy must be maintaining a combination of basic choice account, in-store banking along with developing a new model of financial literacy model. Conclusion: The current assignment intended to identify as well as evaluate the most considerable recent or expected developments in sustainability reporting in Australia. After such evaluation, the sustainability strategies at Westpac have been assessed to find out whether the bank has adopted such identified developments to improve its overall sustainability reporting. It was gathered that as per GRI, the future would take into account new formats with the firms, as they are needed to shift from annual reports to sustainability data exchange. The concentration would be to focus on the primary challenges like human rights and climate change. It was also gathered that in order to make this strategy a success, Westpac has been involved in partnership with Career Seekers for facilitating paid internships for the refugees and asylum-seekers like mid-career professionals or students. In addition, it has developed a new technique of enabling the culturally diverse customers to gain an insight of the products and services through a statement of product disclosure using more images and diagrams. This matches with the expected development of sustainability data exchange, as Westpac has developed new formats to make additional disclosures to the customers about its products. References: Annualreport.westpacgroup.com.au. (2017). [online] Available at: https://2016annualreport.westpacgroup.com.au/ [Accessed 28 Aug. 2017]. Baumgartner, R.J., 2014. Managing corporate sustainability and CSR: A conceptual framework combining values, strategies and instruments contributing to sustainable development.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,21(5), pp.258-271. Benn, S., Dunphy, D. and Griffiths, A., 2014.Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge. Christ, K.L., Burritt, R.L. and Varsei, M., 2017. Coopetition as a Potential Strategy for Corporate Sustainability.Business Strategy and the Environment. Dasgupta, M. and Vaghela, D., 2015. Integrating Organization Culture with Corporate Sustainability Strategy: A Review. Dumay, J., 2016. A critical reflection on the future of intellectual capital: from reporting to disclosure.Journal of Intellectual capital,17(1), pp.168-184. Epstein, M.J. and Buhovac, A.R., 2014.Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Iasplus.com. (2017).Recent sustainability reporting developments. [online] Available at: https://www.iasplus.com/en/news/2016/03/sustainability [Accessed 28 Aug. 2017]. Klettner, A., Clarke, T. and Boersma, M., 2014. The governance of corporate sustainability: Empirical insights into the development, leadership and implementation of responsible business strategy.Journal of Business Ethics,122(1), pp.145-165. Lozano, R., 2015. A holistic perspective on corporate sustainability drivers.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,22(1), pp.32-44. Neugebauer, F., Figge, F. and Hahn, T., 2016. Planned or emergent strategy making? Exploring the formation of corporate sustainability strategies.Business strategy and the environment,25(5), pp.323-336. Orsato, R.J., Garcia, A., Mendes-Da-Silva, W., Simonetti, R. and Monzoni, M., 2015. Sustainability indexes: why join in? A study of the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE)in Brazil.Journal of Cleaner Production,96, pp.161-170.