Prof. P. Currah's Core 3

Questions on bell hooks, "The Myth of the Black Matriarchy"

1. What accounts for the develop of this myth of the black matriarchy, according to hooks? (452)

2. Why have present-day scholars formed a theory that a black matriarchy existed in the black family structure? (453)

3. What is the irony underlying the myth of the black matriarchy, according to hooks? (453) Why is it a "cruel misnomer"?

4. What does the term "matriarch" imply? (453)

5. What is the problem with identifying female-headed families as matriarchies, according to hooks? (453-454)

6. List some of the features of a true matriarchal social structure (454-455)? Do black women have these privileges and rights?

Copyright © 1997, 1998 Paisley Currah
Last Revised -- 5/25/98