"Theory as Liberatory Practice"

In my "Feminist Theory in the Humanities" course last spring, we read "Theory as Liberatory Practice" by bell hooks in class. Those who spoke up in this class (and there weren't many; there was a lot of silencing by the theory we read in that course) criticized this essay, especially the section in which she claims the way we read theory in women's studies courses is analogous to rape. They also criticized bell hooks and quickly wrote off her work. I knew I was in trouble, because every moment while I was reading this essay, I kept nodding my head, underlining bits, and feeling that her theory was granting me a place in that course. How wrong I was...

In light of the recent experiences of myself and my friends who are graduate students just starting out in this world of academia, I find this quote to be quite reassuring:

There were many times early on when my work was subjected to forms of dismissal and devaluation that created within me a profound despair. (72)

I truly want the academic work I do to be connected to practice. I am in Writing Studies for this reason; sitting in a small room with an individual and helping them work out their ideas in writing was a way to put academic work into practice for me. I try to put these purposes ahead of all the other crap that comes up, because there is a good reason for me to do the work I want, and although that may not seem "academic" or "theoretical" enough, it might help someone else. As hooks so eloquently says in this essay, what is the point of theoretical work that nobody wants to read and has no real application in peoples' lives?