Epistemology is the theory of knowledge, especially the methods used to acquire and validate knowledge. Collins describes a Black feminist epistemology that focuses on lived experience and connectedness.

Eurocentrism is an ideology that treats Europe as the center of both geography and history and that prioritizes the ideas and experiences of white people, thus marginalizing people of color. For Collins, the term is synonymous with racism and white supremacy.

Hegemony is the dominance of one group or ideology over all others. For Collins, the US is characterized by the hegemony of whiteness. Black feminist thought is a necessary form of resistance to this hegemony.