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“We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity” is a collection of ten essays depicting the marginalization of black males by white culture. Written by bell hooks, it explores the ideas of intersectionality, masculinity and race.

In the very start preface, bell hooks sets the tone of her entire work: ''Despite all the advances in civil rights in our nation, feminist movement, sexual liberation, when the spotlight is on black males the message is usually that they have managed to stay stuck, that as a group they have not evolved with the times.''

As the academic piece develops, the author delves into the legacy of Malcolm X and WEB DuBois, deciphering their actual legacy on the contemporary Afro-American community.

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Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name bell hooks, was an American author, theorist, educator, and social critic who was a Distinguished Professor in Residence at Berea College. She was best known for her writings on race, feminism, and class.

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“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.”

Bell hooks

For Bell hooks feminism is not just about gender equality but about challenging all forms of domination, especially including race, class, and patriarchy. She emphasizes that feminism must be intersectional and that men, particularly black men, need to be included in the feminist movement for it to be fully liberatory.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author who is regarded as a central figure in postcolonial feminist literature. She is the author of the award-winning novels Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah.

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Manosphere is a community of men that oppose women's empowerment and promote anti-feminist and sexist beliefs. They blame women and feminists for all sorts of problems in society. Many of these communities encourage resentment or even hatred towards women and girls.

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Tomorrow Man is a social enterprise that is created to help men find their path in life and develop masculinity while still adapting to the modern world.

'Our team of expert facilitators embody an alternative to the narrow masculine stereotypes.'

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domination culture in Purple Hibiscus connection to bell hooks 

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domination culture in Purple Hibiscus connection to bell hooks 

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Authoritarianism is one of the main issues presented in Purple Hibiscus in the main protagonist "Papa". Papa's authoritarian style of parenting and family values shape his family's views about the world and family relations. Connecting the character of Papa to bell hooks quote about domination culture, he keeps the environment around him afraid, under the impression of 'demonic' or 'pagan' activities, due to religious reasons. At the time male domination and violence in regards to family members was normalised. On the other hand, Aunty Ifeoma who comes in later on in the novel reveals the differences in her family's lifestyle, relationship, and shared values compared to the Achikie family.

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Malcolm X was an African American revolutionary, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement throughout the mid-20th century.

In 'We Real Cool', bell hooks praises Malcolm X for his invaluable contribution to encouraging the black community, especially males, to stand up against the racial injustice: ''More than any other black male who has come to power in our nation, Malcolm X embodied black male refusal to allow his identity to be defined by a system of race, gender, and class domination. His was the example that young black folks in the sixties followed as we struggled to educate ourselves for critical consciousness. We studied Malcolm’s words, accepting that he gave us permission to liberate ourselves, to liberate the black male by any means necessary.''

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An analytical method known as intersectionality sees race, gender, and class as axes that overlap and work together to create oppressive and prejudiced behaviors. Bell Hooks maintains that the concepts of black womanhood and black masculinity cannot be considered apart from the intersections of racism, sexism, capitalism, and patriarchal dominance.

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William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Du Bois was well known as one of the foremost Black intellectuals of his era. He is the first Black American to earn a PhD from Harvard University.

W.E.B. Du Bois, as understood by bell hooks, represented the intellectual side of black masculinity—a man whose strength came from his mind and his capacity to articulate the complexities of race and identity. He was a model for black men striving for dignity, emphasising education, cultural consciousness, and a nuanced critique of systemic oppression.

Du Bois was active primarily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, notably with the publication of The Souls of Black Folk in 1903.

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The Will to Change: Man, Masculinity and Love (2004)

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The Will to Change: Man, Masculinity and Love (2004)

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In The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love, Bell Hooks discusses the shortcomings of early feminist discourse in addressing men and masculinity beyond anger and violence. She emphasizes the need for reconciliation and deeper understanding between women and men, challenging patriarchal power dynamics and highlighting the importance of men engaging with feminist ideas to overcome societal conditioning and learn to love.

Ultimately, the work advocates for a world where men and women can coexist and grow together, transforming both masculinity and feminism.

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Ethics of care in Purple Hibiscus completely oppose Bell Hook's relationship values. In the Achikie family, the members are oppressed by the rule of the dominant father figure. Ethics is in voice and relationships, the significance of everybody having a voice in a relationship, being listened to (in their own right and on their terms), and being heard out with understanding and respect. The familial relationships in the novel lack respect. The women in the family do NOT have a voice to express their own opinion. Bell Hook's perspective holds the values of communication, love, and caring are essential for freedom from patriarchy and other oppressive systems.

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Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister, activist, and political philosopher who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968

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Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were key leaders in the civil rights movement with contrasting approaches. King promoted nonviolent resistance, inspired by his Christian beliefs and Gandhi, aiming for racial integration through peaceful protests. Malcolm X, initially aligned with the Nation of Islam, advocated for Black nationalism and self-defense, critiquing nonviolence as too passive.

Despite differing philosophies, both leaders sought freedom and equality for African Americans. King's focus was on peaceful coexistence and integration, while Malcolm X initially pushed for racial separation and empowerment, though his views shifted toward greater inclusivity later in life.

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bell hooks' work, as it is, focused primarily on issues like intersectionality, gender, patriarchy, and the ways capitalism interrelates with systems of oppression, which does not significantly overlap with MLK. While King was instrumental in the fight for racial equality, hooks was often more concerned with the intersecting impacts of race, gender, and class, especially in the context of feminism and critical pedagogy. Her emphasis was on critiquing both mainstream feminism and traditional civil rights discourse for failing to fully address the complexities of these intersections.

King's focus on racial justice through nonviolent protest was crucial, but hooks often highlighted the limitations of such approaches when they did not address broader systemic and structural inequalities, including those linked to patriarchy and capitalism. Instead of King, she frequently engaged with thinkers like Malcolm X, Paulo Freire, and others who more explicitly connected race with other forms of oppression, aligning more directly with her intersectional analysis.

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“We are not allowed allowed to come here after we’ve greeted him,”

Jaja said.”

“Because Papa-Nnukwu is a pagan.” Papa would be proud that I had said that.”

Page 81 GI: Authoritarianism and Beliefs

This quote from Chapter 6 of the book Purple Hibiscus is the ideal example of the father's beliefs and values impact on the family. Even though Papa is not there with Jaja and Kambili, they still follow his ways of thinking, hence trying to make him proud.

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Papa Eugene embodies the intersecting oppressions that bell hooks often critiques—specifically patriarchy, authoritarianism, and the influence of colonialism. His authoritarian control over his family reflects the patriarchal domination that hooks addresses, while his strict adherence to colonial religious values highlights how systemic structures, like religion and colonial influence, can perpetuate personal and familial oppression.

Eugene’s behavior illustrates the interconnectedness of race, gender, and power, mirroring hooks' exploration of how intersecting systems create various forms of suffering.