Belonging: A Culture of Place

Belonging: A Culture of Place (2009) by bell hooks is a collection of autobiographical essays blending memoir, cultural criticism, and political reflection. Writing from and about her native Kentucky, hooks interrogates the emotional, historical, and spiritual dimensions of belonging in a society shaped by white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalist exploitation. Through lyrical prose and critical insight, hooks explores the meaning of place, memory, and identity, especially for Black Americans living in rural communities.

A renowned scholar, activist, and author of more than 30 books on race, gender, and social justice, hooks brings her lifelong expertise in intersectional theory to bear on the deeply personal subject of home in this and her other major works.

This guide uses the e-book version published by Routledge in 2009.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of racism and physical abuse.

Summary

Bell hooks’s Belonging: A Culture of Place (2009) is a collection of 21 autobiographical essays that, taken together, trace hooks’s evolving relationship to place, memory, land, and community. Anchored in her experiences growing up in rural Kentucky and shaped by her return there as an adult, the book follows a path through her childhood, exile, and homecoming, while weaving in cultural critique and personal reflection. The essays build on one another thematically and temporally, forming a narrative arc about estrangement, reckoning, and rootedness.

In the opening essay, hooks reflects on her earliest memories of home in the hills of Kentucky. She describes her family’s move from the country to the city—a change that symbolized upward mobility but also alienation from nature. She recalls the strength of Black communities in the rural South, their resourcefulness, and their spiritual connection to the land. These memories form the foundation of her belief that love, peace, and sustainability are possible when humans live in harmony with nature.

Hooks then turns her attention to the experience of leaving home and what it meant to grow up under the influence of segregation. She recalls the casual, everyday forms of racism that shaped her childhood, as well as the ways her family instilled strength and dignity. In “Kentucky Is My Fate,” hooks begins to explore her longing to return home and how her early life in Kentucky continued to shape her values. Chapters 2 and 3 explore the intersection of race, class, and environmental degradation, including discussions of mountaintop removal mining and the role of what she terms “dominator culture”—a model of society rooted in racism, patriarchy, and other rigid hierarchies of power and oppression—in eroding communities and ecosystems.

In Chapter 4, hooks explores the devaluation of Black life in white-dominated spaces, particularly the tendency to erase or romanticize Black suffering. She calls attention to the necessity of recognizing Black humanity and contributions, especially in rural spaces. Chapter 5 turns more personal as hooks reflects on her grandfather’s wisdom and the grounding effect of working the land. She notes that the shift from agrarian to industrial life contributed to what she calls the “psychic genocide” among Black men.

Chapters 6 through 10 expand on hooks’s experiences of class and racial divisions. In “To Be Whole and Holy,” she explores her family’s distrust of poor whites and her own efforts to reconcile internalized prejudice. She critiques classism within Black communities and challenges the assumption that racism is exclusive to the poor. The essay “Again—Segregation Must End” examines how systemic racism continues through housing and zoning practices, even in liberal communities. Hooks describes her own decision to settle in Berea, Kentucky, a place she views as an example of hope and possibility for racial integration.

In “Representation of Whiteness in the Black Imagination,” hooks investigates how Black people have developed a critical understanding of whiteness. Drawing on childhood memories and personal experiences, she argues that Black people have long studied whiteness as a survival strategy. She critiques white discomfort with being seen and studied, especially by people of color.

The next two chapters return to agrarian themes. In “Drive Through Tobacco,” hooks considers the symbolic and historical role of tobacco in Black rural life. She contrasts the sacred and communal relationship her community had with tobacco against its commodification by capitalist industries. In “Earthbound: On Solid Ground,” she further explores the spiritual and emotional nourishment she received from the land and the lessons her grandparents modeled through self-sufficiency.

Chapters 11 through 15 offer more intimate portraits of family life and creativity. In “An Aesthetic of Blackness Strange and Oppositional,” hooks compares her grandmother Baba’s beautifully curated home with her own childhood house, reflecting on how beauty and care were expressions of dignity and resistance. “Inspired Eccentricity” celebrates Baba and her partner Daddy Gus, two unconventional individuals who created a loving and imaginative household. “A Place Where the Soul Can Rest” recalls the porch as a feminine communal space that was eventually disrupted by patriarchal violence, and in Chapters 14 and 15, hooks documents the legacy of quilt-making in her family, connecting it to broader themes of memory, artistry, and survival.

The next three essays center on hooks’s intellectual influences and her evolving political consciousness. In “On Being a Kentucky Writer,” she recounts how Kentucky shaped her worldview and language, despite the cultural pressure to conform. “Returning to the Wound” reflects on the impact of Wendell Berry’s work, particularly The Hidden Wound, and how his insights helped her engage with race and land in new ways. In “Healing Talk: A Conversation,” hooks includes a recorded dialogue between herself and Berry in which they discuss white supremacy, environmental degradation, and their shared love for Kentucky. Their exchange models what hooks calls a “healing talk”—a candid, respectful conversation across difference.

In “Take Back the Night—Remake the Present,” hooks reflects on the generational shifts she has witnessed within her family and community. She contrasts her values with those of her parents, especially around agrarianism and spirituality. She advocates a return to simplicity, spiritual connection, and mindful living. Chapter 20, “Habits of the Heart,” traces her lifelong search for belonging and documents her eventual decision to return to Kentucky. She revisits the landscapes of her childhood and explores how nature continues to offer healing and insight.

The final essay, “A Community of Care,” focuses on hooks’s relationship with her aging parents. She describes the emotional distance that once existed between them and how aging, illness, and caregiving have changed those dynamics. She reflects on gratitude, memory, and the rituals that form a culture of belonging. The book closes on a note of spiritual humility and love, affirming hooks’s belief that community and rootedness are possible, even in a fragmented world.