Patricia Hill Collins Contribution To Sociology

Patricia Hill Collins was born in 1948 and raised in Philadelphia. In1969, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and in 1970, she earned her master’s degree from Harvard University. After college, she became a school teacher and curriculum specialist. However, in 1984, Collins returned to graduate school and obtained a PhD in sociology from Brandeis University. Patricia Hill Collins field of interest mainly focused on black feminist. She believed learning these materials are significant because black women were excluded from their differences. Therefore, she became the Professor of Sociology within the Department of African American Studies. Collins taught at a variety of universities: Northern Kentucky University, Tufts University, Boston College, University of Maryland, and the University of Cincinnati (Applerouth & Edles, 2012). Her contributions and influences in the sociology field is endless and have become a change for the black community.
Notably, her work on the concept of standpoint epistemology was highly influenced by Dorothy Smith. Collins defined standpoint epistemology as the philosophical viewpoint that one knows is affected by the standpoint one has in society (particularly black women). She also emphasizes on the nature of race, class, gender, nationality, and sexual orientation that make up the standpoint. Moreover, standpoint theory and postmodernism are examples of critical theory—the commitment to justice for ones’ own kind or for other groups. Critical social theory highlights that groups of people are placed differently in social, political, and historical contexts that is identified as inequality (Applerouth & Edles,