University Essay: Family and Relations Critical Analysis

This essay critically analyzes the concepts of family and relations, drawing on Bell Hooks' work on 'Homeplace' and the devaluation of black women's struggles. It examines the role of caring and nurturing within the family structure, challenging the notion of these roles as a 'natural state' rather than a conscious effort. The essay further explores critical thinking and critical theory, highlighting the influence of social factors and ideologies on knowledge and the importance of historical and political contexts. It uses examples, such as the shift in understanding the shape of the Earth, to illustrate the evolution of knowledge and the application of social justice frameworks. The essay emphasizes the distinction between different kinds of knowledge and their acceptance in society, providing a comprehensive analysis of family dynamics and societal influences.

Running Head: FAMILY AND RELATIONS
Family and Relations
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author's Note:

1FAMILY AND RELATIONS
Table of Contents
Homeplace- Bell Hooks.............................................................................................................2
Critical Thinking and Critical Theory........................................................................................3
References..................................................................................................................................5

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Homeplace- Bell Hooks
The article is based on the devaluation of the black women struggle and the role of
caring and nurturing provider as the concept of being a 'natural state' instead of being an
effort of conscious and intentional effort. The concept of mother worship as depicted in
several narratives and their denotation of the overtly caring nature of black women as
mothers who provide and sacrifices as shown to be their natural state takes away the worth of
their effort. There are several vital points which Hooks establishes her point throughout the
article, the first of which is the foundation laid by the black women of their homes.
The construction of homes as a place where they were not the objective of racism and
an entity society which is looked upon but rather a space for children and black men to be
subjective to life and its meaning. It is noted in the description of visits made to
grandmother's house explained explicitly that it was not merely her house but both her
grandparent'. But she referred it to as her house due to her commitment to make it the free
space. A space where they did not exist as a black person but as an individual wholly with the
words denoting the seriousness with which it is perceived in the young minds: "In our young
minds houses belonged to women, were their special domain, not as property, but as a places
where all that truly mattered in life took place- the warmth, the shelter, the feeding of our
bodies, the nurturing of our souls." (Hooks 1990) It had enhanced value due to the short
stretch that had to be covered from the White locality was the symbol of being an outsider
after which the arrival and the sights of the yard gave the feeling of 'homecoming'.
The struggle is accentuated by the fact that the efforts and the struggle of the women
are being devalued and forgotten. This, she explains, is because the effort was not translated
into the theory of conscious decolonization by the women. Moreover, their struggle has not
ceased to be as they still work among the Whites and for them in order to create a home for
them. It leads to another dimension of struggle in the form of lack of time to create their

3FAMILY AND RELATIONS
homeplace. This can be explained with the example of an essential Black narrative in the
form of an autobiography of by Fredrick Douglass who refused to acknowledge the maternal
love and warmth of his mother, who refused to follow the slave rule and travelled twelve
hours just to be with him at night.
Critical Thinking and Critical Theory
The school of thought related to thinking and beliefs, which leads to the formation of
an idea which is the construction of critical thinking. The article brings out the different
social factors and influences which are necessary to attain the end result which is universal
entirely. For an idea to attain the status of an ideology, the articles show the two-dimension
thinking which incorporates the historical and political influences and benefiters along with
rational thinking.
One of the main points which are present vividly in the articles is the difference
between knowledge and ideology—the common perception of knowledge as being the
ultimate truth and stand as a neutral point of view. However, the working of commonsense as
a pointer towards the direction of attaining clarity is busted with the help of an example of the
discovery of the shape of the Earth. Before the discovery of Columbus, it was taught on
schools that the Earth is flat and that one would tip and would fall off the edge, but with the
confirmation by Columbus, it was changed (Sensoy and Robin 2017). This shows the other
side of knowledge of being in a constant mode of evolution. This shifts the focus of the
article to the concept of social justice framework of Critical theory brought to life by the
German scholars. This framework was based on the analysis of the social changes by
combining the influence of politics, economic and social changes which is brought about in
the society.

4FAMILY AND RELATIONS
The article shows the difference between the various kinds of knowledge and how
their adherence in society is different. In case of acceptance on the shape of Earth, which was
previously already known to several civilizations such as the Muslim astrologer, in contrast to
which Columbus was backed politically by the ruler. The ideology was referred to as being in
favour of the economy across the globe as it opened trade routes and the possibility of being
connected to more civilizations.

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References
Hooks, Bell. "Homeplace (A Site of Resistance)". Libcom.Org.
https://libcom.org/library/homeplace-site-resistance. 1990
Sensoy, Ozlem, and Robin DiAngelo. Is everyone really equal? An introduction to key
concepts in social justice education. Teachers College Press, 2017.