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袩邪褌褉褨邪褉褏懈: 胁懈褌芯泻懈 薪械褉褨胁薪芯褋褌褨
小褌芯谢褨褌褌褟屑懈 褋褍褋锌褨谢褜褋褌胁芯 胁胁邪卸邪谢芯 褔芯谢芯胁褨褔械 写芯屑褨薪褍胁邪薪薪褟 锌褉懈褉芯写薪懈屑 写谢褟 谢褞写褋褜泻芯谐芯 胁懈写褍. 袗谢械 褟泻懈屑 斜褍谢芯 斜 薪邪褕械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨薪薪褟 谐械薪写械褉薪芯褩 薪械褉褨胁薪芯褋褌褨 鈥� 褍褟胁薪芯谐芯 屑懈薪褍谢芯谐芯 褨 褋褍锌械褉械褔谢懈胁芯谐芯 褋褜芯谐芯写械薪薪褟 鈥� 褟泻斜懈 屑懈 薪械 胁胁邪卸邪谢懈, 褖芯 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻懈 蟹邪胁卸写懈 锌邪薪褍胁邪谢懈 薪邪写 卸褨薪泻邪屑懈?
校 褑褨泄 褋屑褨谢懈胁褨泄 褨 褉邪写懈泻邪谢褜薪褨泄 泻薪懈卸褑褨 薪邪褍泻芯胁邪 卸褍褉薪邪谢褨褋褌泻邪 袗薪卸械谢邪 小邪褩薪褨 写芯褋谢褨写卸褍褦 泻芯褉褨薪薪褟 褌芯谐芯, 褖芯 屑懈 薪邪蟹懈胁邪褦屑芯 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪褌芯屑: 褟泻 胁褨薪 褍锌械褉褕械 胁泻芯褉褨薪懈胁褋褟 胁 褋褍褋锌褨谢褜褋褌胁邪褏 褨 锌芯褕懈褉懈胁褋褟 锌芯 胁褋褜芯屑褍 褋胁褨褌褍 胁褨写 写芯褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈褏 褔邪褋褨胁 写芯 褋褜芯谐芯写械薪薪褟. 小邪褩薪褨 锌芯写芯褉芯卸褍褦 写芯 薪邪泄写邪胁薪褨褕懈褏 胁褨写芯屑懈褏 谢褞写褋褜泻懈褏 锌芯褋械谢械薪褜, 邪薪邪谢褨蟹褍褦 薪邪泄薪芯胁褨褕褨 褉械蟹褍谢褜褌邪褌懈 写芯褋谢褨写卸械薪褜, 邪 褌邪泻芯卸 锌褉芯褋褌械卸褍褦 泻褍谢褜褌褍褉薪褨 褌邪 锌芯谢褨褌懈褔薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩, 写芯胁芯写褟褔懈, 褖芯 泻芯谢芯薪褨邪谢褨蟹屑 褌邪 褨屑锌械褉褨褩 泻邪褉写懈薪邪谢褜薪芯 蟹屑褨薪懈谢懈 褋锌芯褋褨斜 卸懈褌褌褟 胁 袗蟹褨褩, 袗褎褉懈褑褨 褌邪 袗屑械褉懈褑褨, 锌芯褕懈褉褞褞褔懈 卸芯褉褋褌泻褨 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪谢褜薪褨 蟹胁懈褔邪褩 褨 锌褨写褉懈胁邪褞褔懈 褌械, 褟泻 谢褞写懈 芯褉谐邪薪褨蟹芯胁褍胁邪谢懈 褋胁芯褩 褋褨屑'褩 褌邪 褉芯斜芯褌褍.
校 薪邪褕 褔邪褋, 锌芯锌褉懈 斜芯褉芯褌褜斜褍 蟹 褋械泻褋懈蟹屑芯屑, 薪邪褋懈谢褜褋褌胁芯屑 褨 写懈褋泻褉懈屑褨薪邪褑褨褦褞, 薪邪胁褨褌褜 褉械胁芯谢褞褑褨泄薪褨 蟹褍褋懈谢谢褟, 褋锌褉褟屑芯胁邪薪褨 薪邪 写芯褋褟谐薪械薪薪褟 褉褨胁薪芯褋褌褨, 褔邪褋褌芯 蟹邪泻褨薪褔褍褞褌褜褋褟 薪械胁写邪褔械褞. 袗谢械 芦袩邪褌褉褨邪褉褏懈禄 胁褋械谢褟褞褌褜 薪邪写褨褞 鈥� 胁褨写泻褉懈胁邪褞褌褜 屑薪芯卸懈薪薪褨褋褌褜 谢褞写褋褜泻懈褏 褍褋褌褉芯褩胁, 锌褨写胁邪卸褍褞褌褜 褋褌邪褉褨 薪邪褉邪褌懈胁懈 泄 胁懈泻褉懈胁邪褞褌褜 褔芯谢芯胁褨褔褍 蟹胁械褉褏薪褨褋褌褜 褟泻 锌芯褋褌褨泄薪芯 屑褨薪谢懈胁懈泄 械谢械屑械薪褌 褋懈褋褌械屑懈 泻芯薪褌褉芯谢褞.
校 褑褨泄 褋屑褨谢懈胁褨泄 褨 褉邪写懈泻邪谢褜薪褨泄 泻薪懈卸褑褨 薪邪褍泻芯胁邪 卸褍褉薪邪谢褨褋褌泻邪 袗薪卸械谢邪 小邪褩薪褨 写芯褋谢褨写卸褍褦 泻芯褉褨薪薪褟 褌芯谐芯, 褖芯 屑懈 薪邪蟹懈胁邪褦屑芯 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪褌芯屑: 褟泻 胁褨薪 褍锌械褉褕械 胁泻芯褉褨薪懈胁褋褟 胁 褋褍褋锌褨谢褜褋褌胁邪褏 褨 锌芯褕懈褉懈胁褋褟 锌芯 胁褋褜芯屑褍 褋胁褨褌褍 胁褨写 写芯褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈褏 褔邪褋褨胁 写芯 褋褜芯谐芯写械薪薪褟. 小邪褩薪褨 锌芯写芯褉芯卸褍褦 写芯 薪邪泄写邪胁薪褨褕懈褏 胁褨写芯屑懈褏 谢褞写褋褜泻懈褏 锌芯褋械谢械薪褜, 邪薪邪谢褨蟹褍褦 薪邪泄薪芯胁褨褕褨 褉械蟹褍谢褜褌邪褌懈 写芯褋谢褨写卸械薪褜, 邪 褌邪泻芯卸 锌褉芯褋褌械卸褍褦 泻褍谢褜褌褍褉薪褨 褌邪 锌芯谢褨褌懈褔薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩, 写芯胁芯写褟褔懈, 褖芯 泻芯谢芯薪褨邪谢褨蟹屑 褌邪 褨屑锌械褉褨褩 泻邪褉写懈薪邪谢褜薪芯 蟹屑褨薪懈谢懈 褋锌芯褋褨斜 卸懈褌褌褟 胁 袗蟹褨褩, 袗褎褉懈褑褨 褌邪 袗屑械褉懈褑褨, 锌芯褕懈褉褞褞褔懈 卸芯褉褋褌泻褨 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪谢褜薪褨 蟹胁懈褔邪褩 褨 锌褨写褉懈胁邪褞褔懈 褌械, 褟泻 谢褞写懈 芯褉谐邪薪褨蟹芯胁褍胁邪谢懈 褋胁芯褩 褋褨屑'褩 褌邪 褉芯斜芯褌褍.
校 薪邪褕 褔邪褋, 锌芯锌褉懈 斜芯褉芯褌褜斜褍 蟹 褋械泻褋懈蟹屑芯屑, 薪邪褋懈谢褜褋褌胁芯屑 褨 写懈褋泻褉懈屑褨薪邪褑褨褦褞, 薪邪胁褨褌褜 褉械胁芯谢褞褑褨泄薪褨 蟹褍褋懈谢谢褟, 褋锌褉褟屑芯胁邪薪褨 薪邪 写芯褋褟谐薪械薪薪褟 褉褨胁薪芯褋褌褨, 褔邪褋褌芯 蟹邪泻褨薪褔褍褞褌褜褋褟 薪械胁写邪褔械褞. 袗谢械 芦袩邪褌褉褨邪褉褏懈禄 胁褋械谢褟褞褌褜 薪邪写褨褞 鈥� 胁褨写泻褉懈胁邪褞褌褜 屑薪芯卸懈薪薪褨褋褌褜 谢褞写褋褜泻懈褏 褍褋褌褉芯褩胁, 锌褨写胁邪卸褍褞褌褜 褋褌邪褉褨 薪邪褉邪褌懈胁懈 泄 胁懈泻褉懈胁邪褞褌褜 褔芯谢芯胁褨褔褍 蟹胁械褉褏薪褨褋褌褜 褟泻 锌芯褋褌褨泄薪芯 屑褨薪谢懈胁懈泄 械谢械屑械薪褌 褋懈褋褌械屑懈 泻芯薪褌褉芯谢褞.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2023
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About the author
Angela Saini
6听books659听followersAngela Saini is an award-winning author and journalist, and she teaches science writing at MIT. She has presented science programmes on BBC radio and television, and her writing has appeared in National Geographic, Wired, and Foreign Policy.
听
She is the author of four books, including Superior: The Return of Race Science, which was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, which has been translated into fourteen languages. Her latest, The Patriarchs, was a finalist for the Orwell Prize.
听
Angela has a Masters in Engineering from the University of Oxford. She was made an honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford in 2023.
听
She is the author of four books, including Superior: The Return of Race Science, which was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, which has been translated into fourteen languages. Her latest, The Patriarchs, was a finalist for the Orwell Prize.
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Angela has a Masters in Engineering from the University of Oxford. She was made an honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
January 13, 2023
Patriarchy as a single phenomenon doesn't really exist, then. There are instead, more accurately, multiple patriarchies, formed by threads subtly woven through different cultures in their own way, working with local power structures and existing systems of inequality.
This is, inevitably, a more amorphous and loose investigation than that of race science in Saini's Superior: in that book she was tracing a history of thinking and theorisations, here her topic is far wider in range and scope and that's reflected in the different focuses of the chapters.
The early ones take an archaeological and anthropological view of history and, somewhat like Superior, trace a history of thinking about patriarchy which roughly coalesces around the nature/nurture or biological/cultural binaries. Some pointers towards matrilineal and matrilocal societies (not, strictly, matriarchal) unsettle the contested ideas of patriarchy as biological fate and the somewhat fantasised idea of matriarchal societies with some recourse to evidence in primates.
Far more interesting, for me, are the last two chapters where Saini explores revolutionary attempts to reset the parameters that govern gender inequality and oppression, and the inevitable(?) backlash. Without valorising the communist revolution in the USSR and Eastern Europe or excusing the associated authoritarianism and horrific mass murder, Saini does uncover how this vast social experiment revolutionised women's roles as it made a genuine attempt to smash the patriarchy.
'One of the primary tasks of the Soviet Republic is to abolish all restrictions on women's rights', Lenin announced, and set about doing precisely this. In 1920 (1920!) Soviet Russia legalised abortion. As universal education was promoted across Eastern Europe, women trained to become scientists and engineers supported by access to creches and childcare provided by the state. Cheap and affordable public laundries and canteens relieved women of at least some domestic labour so that they could study and advance their careers. In the late 1920s, the Soviet state adopted laws making it a capital crime to murder or attempt to murder a woman striving for emancipation - 100 years later, in our own age when there is so much activism against femicide, this was radical indeed.
Even after the reunification of Germany, the long-term effects of these socialist policies could be measured: in 2016, the gender pay gap in what was East Germany was 6%; in the old West Germany it was 23%.
A 2019 study measured the proportion of scientific and technical articles published in scholarly journals by female authors: Central and Eastern European universities were amongst the best in the world with Poland coming first and fourth (Lublin, Gdansk), and the University of Belgrade third. By comparison, Harvard came 286th and Cambridge 537th.
This is not to advocate in any way for the kind of authoritarianism, suppression of freedoms and mass incarcerations and executions that have so polluted the communist experiment but it is evidence for the way that state policies and institutionalised social and domestic care can dismantle some of the economic and cultural oppressions of patriarchy. In contrast, since the collapse of state socialism, women have reported a deterioration in their standards of living, driven by the systematic closure of kindergartens, schools and hospitals, placing the burden of child and elderly care back women.
The point that Saini is making here is that biological patriarchy where men are 'naturally' the owners of power, social, economic and intellectual influence due to those X chromosomes is shown not to stack up. If that were true, why has there been so much agitation against patriarchy throughout history? It's culture whether in the myths we construct for ourselves or the economic systems and policies we vote for (in places where women have the status and ability to vote, natch) that can dismantle the oppressions of gendered inequality.
The final dispiriting chapter, though, looks at the pushbacks and backlashes against hard-earned equality progress: Putin's reinstatement of macho patriarchy and force; the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the rolling back of abortion laws in the US. Saini ends on a more hopeful note than I think I would.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
April 15, 2023
Yes, we live in a society ... and Saini has written a non-fiction book detailing that we have always lived in a society: The world is big, history is messy and homo sapiens is a cultural animal, so the status of women has diverged between societies and across centuries. Accordingly, the patriarchy as a social (and of course, not a biological!) reality is not a monolith, but has to be thought of as containing plurals, as an inconsistent system of power and control.
To illustrate this point, the book takes a quick trip through human thought, history and world regions, from Ancient Greece to Viking Iceland, from Mesopotamia to the GDR, from Vladimir Putin to , in order to then ponder Iran and modern-day consequences of the Cold War (and while I frequently feel the need to facepalm the day away when reading about the alleged current situation between West and East Germany when the texts are crafted by non-Germans, Saini is spot-on). Unfortunately, the writing reads like an assemblage of facts that ultimately lack argumentative stringency, and, what's worse, the text has no drive.
Which begs the question: Who is the audience? For a popular non-fiction book, it does have enough depth, but the language is way too dry. For a scientific book, it lacks the specific terminology and clear theoretical framework. In both cases, the whole thing meanders quite a lot, which tested my patience. The train of thought that really captivated me though was the connection between economic systems and female roles: This relates to the woke discussions that tend to push aside questions of wealth and replace them by identity, instead of taking an intersectional approach. The sections about marriage and slavery are pretty radical stuff, and I appreciate it (to be clear, I think the current debate started by about abolishing marriage is BS, but the historical framework of the institution is enlightening when looking at today's laws, e.g.).
All in all, this has some interesting sections to offer, but it could have been so much better.
To illustrate this point, the book takes a quick trip through human thought, history and world regions, from Ancient Greece to Viking Iceland, from Mesopotamia to the GDR, from Vladimir Putin to , in order to then ponder Iran and modern-day consequences of the Cold War (and while I frequently feel the need to facepalm the day away when reading about the alleged current situation between West and East Germany when the texts are crafted by non-Germans, Saini is spot-on). Unfortunately, the writing reads like an assemblage of facts that ultimately lack argumentative stringency, and, what's worse, the text has no drive.
Which begs the question: Who is the audience? For a popular non-fiction book, it does have enough depth, but the language is way too dry. For a scientific book, it lacks the specific terminology and clear theoretical framework. In both cases, the whole thing meanders quite a lot, which tested my patience. The train of thought that really captivated me though was the connection between economic systems and female roles: This relates to the woke discussions that tend to push aside questions of wealth and replace them by identity, instead of taking an intersectional approach. The sections about marriage and slavery are pretty radical stuff, and I appreciate it (to be clear, I think the current debate started by about abolishing marriage is BS, but the historical framework of the institution is enlightening when looking at today's laws, e.g.).
All in all, this has some interesting sections to offer, but it could have been so much better.
May 17, 2023
Wo liegen die Wurzeln des Patriarchats? Ist m盲nnliche Vorherrschaft wirklich "nat眉rlich"? Angela Saini dekonstruiert in ihrem Sachbuch "Die Patriarchen: Auf der Suche nach dem Ursprung m盲nnlicher Herrschaft", 眉bersetzt von Simon茅 Goldschmidt-Lechner, anhand umfangreicher Recherchen stichhaltig die Annahme, dass Ungleichheit durch genetische Faktoren bedingt sei. F眉r ihr Buch reist sie an verschiedene geschichtstr盲chtige Orte der ganzen Welt, taucht ein in die historischen Urspr眉nge der Menschheit, untersucht matrilokale und patrilokale Gesellschaften und rekonstruiert so die Geschichte der Patriarchate, die heute unsere Gesellschaft bestimmen.
Angela Sainis Werk steckt voller neuer Erkenntnisse und macht vor allem eines: Mut. Denn wenn wir uns endlich von der Spekulation verabschieden, dass m盲nnliche Herrschaft etwas mit Biologie zu tun habe und vielmehr die Auffassung vertreten, dass die Ungleichheit der Geschlechter etwas Fragiles ist, gegen das wir erfolgreich vorgehen k枚nnen, ver盲ndert das unsere K盲mpfe. Besonders gut hat mir auch gefallen, dass die Autorin die Verzahnung zwischen Patriarchat, Kolonialismus, Kapitalismus und anderer unterdr眉ckender Systeme so markant ausarbeitet und aufzeigt, wie sich diese Systeme gegenseitig bedingen und auseinander hervorgehen. Auch den Hinweis, dass Forschung nie neutral ist und immer von den aktuellen gesellschaftlichen Gegebenheiten abh盲ngt, fand ich sehr wichtig und erweitert den Blickwinkel. Manchmal waren mir die Kapitel etwas zu unstrukturiert, was es stellenweise schwer macht, den Gedankeng盲ngen von Angela Saini zu folgen. Nichts desto trotz spreche ich gerne eine Leseempfehlung f眉r "Die Patriarchen" aus - ich konnte sehr viel aus der Lekt眉re lernen und mitnehmen!
Angela Sainis Werk steckt voller neuer Erkenntnisse und macht vor allem eines: Mut. Denn wenn wir uns endlich von der Spekulation verabschieden, dass m盲nnliche Herrschaft etwas mit Biologie zu tun habe und vielmehr die Auffassung vertreten, dass die Ungleichheit der Geschlechter etwas Fragiles ist, gegen das wir erfolgreich vorgehen k枚nnen, ver盲ndert das unsere K盲mpfe. Besonders gut hat mir auch gefallen, dass die Autorin die Verzahnung zwischen Patriarchat, Kolonialismus, Kapitalismus und anderer unterdr眉ckender Systeme so markant ausarbeitet und aufzeigt, wie sich diese Systeme gegenseitig bedingen und auseinander hervorgehen. Auch den Hinweis, dass Forschung nie neutral ist und immer von den aktuellen gesellschaftlichen Gegebenheiten abh盲ngt, fand ich sehr wichtig und erweitert den Blickwinkel. Manchmal waren mir die Kapitel etwas zu unstrukturiert, was es stellenweise schwer macht, den Gedankeng盲ngen von Angela Saini zu folgen. Nichts desto trotz spreche ich gerne eine Leseempfehlung f眉r "Die Patriarchen" aus - ich konnte sehr viel aus der Lekt眉re lernen und mitnehmen!
November 18, 2024
Unfortunately I struggled with this mainly because the narrator sounded like they were shouting the whole time. Despite this, the content was interesting and accessible.
March 30, 2023
I enjoyed this and learned some new things, but don't feel the author successfully presented an argument in line with the book's subtitle, nor any cohesive idea of how and why patriarchy got started and persisted on such a scale. Saini spends a fair bit of space talking about other theories around the origins of patriarchy, and shows quite persuasively how so many of them rest on unacknowledged biological essentialism -- but then never manages to put forward a coherent theory of her own that doesn't also rest in some degree on the same.
To be clear, I'm no fan of gender essentialism and don't believe patriarchy is in any sense biological. I don't believe Saini is failing because she is wrong. I just think she didn't forward the argument the book's cover claimed she would.
She did show a lot of how patriarchy ended up developing, in aggregate and in specific places and times, which I found very interesting. She also covered a few matrilocal societies where women had on average more power than men, which is always a joy to read. The discussion on how communist states (despite their many human rights' failings) in many (but not all!) ways successfully dismantled (most) male privilege was interesting, but otherwise I found the last few chapters of the book a bit of a drag, with material on feminist history better and more comprehensively covered in other books.
Still, on the whole, worth reading.
To be clear, I'm no fan of gender essentialism and don't believe patriarchy is in any sense biological. I don't believe Saini is failing because she is wrong. I just think she didn't forward the argument the book's cover claimed she would.
She did show a lot of how patriarchy ended up developing, in aggregate and in specific places and times, which I found very interesting. She also covered a few matrilocal societies where women had on average more power than men, which is always a joy to read. The discussion on how communist states (despite their many human rights' failings) in many (but not all!) ways successfully dismantled (most) male privilege was interesting, but otherwise I found the last few chapters of the book a bit of a drag, with material on feminist history better and more comprehensively covered in other books.
Still, on the whole, worth reading.
April 19, 2023
Angela Saini is confusing to review. Especially this one. I read Inferior, Superior, then this one, The Patriarchs, in rapid succession. Inferior and this title are similar in that this author provides so much research and so much detail that they are fascinating yet confounding at the same time.
I do want to know the origins of patriarchy. This book explores so many possibilities but refutes them in the same breath. Leaving me feeling like鈥� so, there鈥檚 no answer? Or, we can鈥檛 find out? Cuz this woman鈥檚 research is both broad and deep, so if she can鈥檛 find it who the hell can?!
There are some fascinating bits. I鈥檝e always assumed that patriarchy came from men鈥檚 physical advantage in terms of average strength and size, combined with a willingness to use violence to dominate. But Saini refutes this well. Some of the other theories are fascinating too, such as patriarchy originating with the concept of property. That hit home for me big time, but she poked holes in that theory too.
Like Inferior, this book left me with more questions than answers, and long lists of further reading culled from her copious references. But I guess in the end, I would 100% recommend it. If you read it, tell me if it left you with an answer!
I do want to know the origins of patriarchy. This book explores so many possibilities but refutes them in the same breath. Leaving me feeling like鈥� so, there鈥檚 no answer? Or, we can鈥檛 find out? Cuz this woman鈥檚 research is both broad and deep, so if she can鈥檛 find it who the hell can?!
There are some fascinating bits. I鈥檝e always assumed that patriarchy came from men鈥檚 physical advantage in terms of average strength and size, combined with a willingness to use violence to dominate. But Saini refutes this well. Some of the other theories are fascinating too, such as patriarchy originating with the concept of property. That hit home for me big time, but she poked holes in that theory too.
Like Inferior, this book left me with more questions than answers, and long lists of further reading culled from her copious references. But I guess in the end, I would 100% recommend it. If you read it, tell me if it left you with an answer!
February 26, 2023
An absolutely excellent book. It deals with one of THE big questions - given that it's not a "natural" thing in human nature for men to systematically oppress women, how and when and WHY did it actually start? But what I loved about it most is that it's packed full of real stories, beautifully written- you feel like you meet people from ancient Turkey to modern Iran, and there is lots on US history that completely floored me and isn't widely known. All of that makes it hugely readable. If everyone read this, we could finally stop having ignorant conversations about men and women's roles, and start having productive ones!
June 13, 2024
The Patriarchs is Angela Saini's grand narrative style exploration of the biological, psychological, social-systemic political and historical factors (that have and continue to) contribute to the foundation and maintenance of male domination in society. Otherwise known as PATRIARCHY.
I鈥檓 not an expert in, or well educated in, or particularly well read this field. As such, my opinions and experiences of this text are鈥� well鈥� just mine. And are as such, probably not reliable. So take what you read here with a grain of salt.
I finally finished this thing.
础苍诲鈥�
It鈥檚 good.
It鈥檚 SOLID.
I ultimately liked it a lot.
However.
I almost didn鈥檛 finish it.
I started it and set it down a few times.
Without the intent to pick it back up.
I did pick it back up though.
And I鈥檓 glad I did.
厂辞鈥�
Why was I initially lukewarm on it?
I read it right after Judith Butler鈥檚 Who鈥檚 Afraid of Gender.
础苍诲鈥�
Well..
Buttler is a TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW.
However.
After starting a few other books and also finding them lacking. I decided I was suffering from: Post Buttler Text/Scholarship Dissatisfaction Syndrome (PBT/SDS). And that it would pass with persistence and exposure to other texts.
And it did.
So I picked up The Patriarchs (again).
Persistence paid.
And I was eventually able to finish it.
The BIG IDEAS (as I understand them).
DEAD PRESIDENTS
Saini explores the ancient societal presidents of patriarchy, examining how ancient cultures might have operated and their gradual shift toward increasingly patriarchal structures.
Sani retraces debates regarding some of the claims of earlier feminist scholars regarding ancient matriarchal societies (for example Eisler鈥檚 The Chalice and the Blade).
AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY
Saini also discusses the theories centered on the role of agriculture and settled communities in changing gender dynamics, with heavy farm labor, property ownership and inheritance contributing to male dominance (as posited in Semone de Beauvoir鈥檚 The Second Sex).
THEOCRACY AND RELIGION
Sani explores how various religions and religious texts have reinforced or discouraged patriarchy. Saini focuses on the plight of Iranian women pre and post revolution. This was actually one of my favorite sections of the book. Sani delivered a comic and nuanced critique of capitalism versus traditionalism and theocracy in Islam.
POWER AND CONTROL
Saini examines the role of laws, norms, and institutions in perpetuating gender inequality. Sani does not explicitly focus on the US. But does examine the recent loss of federal level regulation of women鈥檚 reproductive health.
RESISTANCE AND REVOLUTION
Saini also documents the ways in which women have resisted and challenged male dominance throughout history. She discusses feminist movements and key figures who have fought for gender equality and the ongoing struggles faced by women in different parts of the world.
STATE OF THE STAE
Sani addresses the current state of gender politics, and discusses recent progress and extant barriers to gender equality.
Real good book.
Highly recommended.
4/5 stars 猸愶笍 (revisit previously discussed PBT/SDS above for explanation of point deduction).
I鈥檓 not an expert in, or well educated in, or particularly well read this field. As such, my opinions and experiences of this text are鈥� well鈥� just mine. And are as such, probably not reliable. So take what you read here with a grain of salt.
I finally finished this thing.
础苍诲鈥�
It鈥檚 good.
It鈥檚 SOLID.
I ultimately liked it a lot.
However.
I almost didn鈥檛 finish it.
I started it and set it down a few times.
Without the intent to pick it back up.
I did pick it back up though.
And I鈥檓 glad I did.
厂辞鈥�
Why was I initially lukewarm on it?
I read it right after Judith Butler鈥檚 Who鈥檚 Afraid of Gender.
础苍诲鈥�
Well..
Buttler is a TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW.
However.
After starting a few other books and also finding them lacking. I decided I was suffering from: Post Buttler Text/Scholarship Dissatisfaction Syndrome (PBT/SDS). And that it would pass with persistence and exposure to other texts.
And it did.
So I picked up The Patriarchs (again).
Persistence paid.
And I was eventually able to finish it.
The BIG IDEAS (as I understand them).
DEAD PRESIDENTS
Saini explores the ancient societal presidents of patriarchy, examining how ancient cultures might have operated and their gradual shift toward increasingly patriarchal structures.
Sani retraces debates regarding some of the claims of earlier feminist scholars regarding ancient matriarchal societies (for example Eisler鈥檚 The Chalice and the Blade).
AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY
Saini also discusses the theories centered on the role of agriculture and settled communities in changing gender dynamics, with heavy farm labor, property ownership and inheritance contributing to male dominance (as posited in Semone de Beauvoir鈥檚 The Second Sex).
THEOCRACY AND RELIGION
Sani explores how various religions and religious texts have reinforced or discouraged patriarchy. Saini focuses on the plight of Iranian women pre and post revolution. This was actually one of my favorite sections of the book. Sani delivered a comic and nuanced critique of capitalism versus traditionalism and theocracy in Islam.
POWER AND CONTROL
Saini examines the role of laws, norms, and institutions in perpetuating gender inequality. Sani does not explicitly focus on the US. But does examine the recent loss of federal level regulation of women鈥檚 reproductive health.
RESISTANCE AND REVOLUTION
Saini also documents the ways in which women have resisted and challenged male dominance throughout history. She discusses feminist movements and key figures who have fought for gender equality and the ongoing struggles faced by women in different parts of the world.
STATE OF THE STAE
Sani addresses the current state of gender politics, and discusses recent progress and extant barriers to gender equality.
Real good book.
Highly recommended.
4/5 stars 猸愶笍 (revisit previously discussed PBT/SDS above for explanation of point deduction).
May 5, 2024
More accurate rating:
Okay, so technically, and to be fair, I guess it's between a 5 and 6/10 if you've legit never read anything whatsoever about this topic, and if it succeeds in pushing readers to seek further scholarship elsewhere. But for my part, and considering the legitimate flaws of this publication: yeah I can't possibly rate this anything above a 3.5-4/10.
I thought Angela Saini鈥檚 The Patriarchs would, essentially, give me an updated, and more multi-disciplinary version of Gerda Lerner鈥檚 very recently read The Creation of Patriarchy. That is: an overview of contemporary research, and theses, on the origins of patriarchal, or androcratic societal systems, from varying, but interrelated historical, archaeological, anthropological, etc鈥� points of view.
Unfortunately, this book鈥檚 title turned out to be pure bait, and it is thus the most disappointing non-fiction I have read this year 鈥� so far. Indeed, whilst I鈥檒l concede the book presents some older research (with massive caveats I鈥檒l come back to shortly), you will not really get any sort of properly articulated, current hypotheses regarding the origins of patriarchy, much less an overarching thesis like in Gerda Lerner鈥檚 (infinitely more engaging, and scholarly) treatise.
My suspicions were quickly aroused as The Patriarchs's incredibly meandering and scattered structure became apparent to me. Ms Sainiwasted spent a lot of time describing contemporary patriarchal cultures, and poo-pooing the baddies of Western Colonialism for exporting their Christian, then capitalist patriarchy to the Global South. Deep breaths: once again, we already know this, so what is the point of going over it again when you鈥檙e supposed to be looking into the fucking origins of it all, thousands of fucking years ago, hmm??
And no, spending a couple of chapters going into descriptions of some of the world鈥檚 few remaining matrifocal societies doesn鈥檛 compensate for this book鈥檚 (yet again) 鈥榮pread-too-thin鈥� superficiality; yes, just as with the recent train wreck of a read that was Period, Ms Saini spent too much time including way too many details that weren鈥檛 immediately relevant to the (supposed) topic at hand, instead of focusing on findings, from various scholars and researchers, that actually pertained to the subject of the emergence of patriarchy. In a book that is shorter than Gerda Lerner鈥檚, and pretends to look at the evidence from different fields of research, you can鈥檛 afford to lose sight of your purported topical through-line like this!
This book is undoubtedly a work of pop-science non-fiction, because it really shows in a bad way. I guess I鈥檝e grown used to more academic, or scholarly publications, because the absence of proper citation work really freaking bugged me in this one. All the more so given I know, for a fact, that Ms Saini misrepresented some of the scholarship she cited in The Patriarchs. To be more specific: the way she talked about Lerner鈥檚 book (which I just read, so I鈥檓 not exaggerating here), and research, exuded so much bad faith it actively angered me*. I can鈥檛 express how thoroughly shattered my respect for her work as a journalist was reading this book. Given she did this, and given the lack of citations, how can I then trust she properly represented other scholars鈥� and researchers鈥� work?
Finally, The Patriarchs does this infuriating, 鈥榳okist鈥� thing of downplaying the very existence of patriarchy, and sex-based oppression, by not only being confusingly silent on the importance of humanity鈥檚 'Ur-difference', that of sex, and the unequal division of reproductive labour that is inherent to our condition as gestating mammals鈥� but also by watering down the actual meaning of patriarchy. I wish I鈥檇 written the relevant page number down before I got rid of my copy, so take all of this with a healthy pinch of salt of course, but the author more or less concluded her book with the idea that: 鈥�eh, patriarchy is a system of oppression like any other, where some people have power over others鈥�. Some peopl. Riiiiiight.
When I read that, I was kinda like: fuck straight off, honestly. What is even the point of writing a book like this if we鈥檙e gonna, yet again, yeet sex class analysis out鈥� the window, and thereby minimise the historical struggle of women for the recognition of our dignity as human beings in the face of, and liberation from systems of male domination and privilege? I鈥檓鈥� just so sick of this shit.
So yeah, this was a paltry 3.5-4/10 read for me. But I鈥檒l be generous and allow that if you鈥檝e never, ever read anything about this topic, The Patriarchs isn鈥檛 the worst book you could pick up as an introduction to it. But please, for the love of Goddess, don鈥檛 stop your exploration there, because overall, this really ain鈥檛 it!
*Full context: I honestly don鈥檛 know if Ms Saini read The Creation of Patriarchy in full, because she contended, in The Patriarchs, that Gerder Lerner stated women鈥檚 subjugation was partly due to their weaker 鈥�biological natures鈥�. But that is absolute horseshit, plain and simple. What Ms Lerner did, in her treatise, was look at several different factors which 肠辞耻濒诲鈥檝别 constituted necessary conditions for a gradual shift from primitive egalitarianism (or matrifocality) to male-dominated social groups, which then would鈥檝e progressively coalesced into patriarchal state societies. Some of those factors are, yes, biological, insofar as women are the human beings who bear, birth, and breastfeed children, which creates an inherent, unequal division between the sexes in terms of reproductive labour. This is feminist theory 101, for fuck鈥檚 sake, and shouldn鈥檛 be controversial in the slightest!
Ms Saini also then went on to disagree with Lerner about the primacy of sex, as opposed to socio-economic class, as an axis of oppression, referring, specifically, to the historical relationship between marriage and slavery. Now, putting aside the question of 鈥榳hich axis of oppression came first鈥�, since it鈥檚 mostly a matter of speculation and opinion at this point, the hilarious thing is that Ms Saini followed her blanket disagreement 鈥� delivered without any sort of supporting argumentation, mind you 鈥� with a near copy-paste of Lerner鈥檚 own development on the subject in The Creation of Patriarchy. I swear you cannot make this shit up 鈥� wild'.
Okay, so technically, and to be fair, I guess it's between a 5 and 6/10 if you've legit never read anything whatsoever about this topic, and if it succeeds in pushing readers to seek further scholarship elsewhere. But for my part, and considering the legitimate flaws of this publication: yeah I can't possibly rate this anything above a 3.5-4/10.
I thought Angela Saini鈥檚 The Patriarchs would, essentially, give me an updated, and more multi-disciplinary version of Gerda Lerner鈥檚 very recently read The Creation of Patriarchy. That is: an overview of contemporary research, and theses, on the origins of patriarchal, or androcratic societal systems, from varying, but interrelated historical, archaeological, anthropological, etc鈥� points of view.
Unfortunately, this book鈥檚 title turned out to be pure bait, and it is thus the most disappointing non-fiction I have read this year 鈥� so far. Indeed, whilst I鈥檒l concede the book presents some older research (with massive caveats I鈥檒l come back to shortly), you will not really get any sort of properly articulated, current hypotheses regarding the origins of patriarchy, much less an overarching thesis like in Gerda Lerner鈥檚 (infinitely more engaging, and scholarly) treatise.
My suspicions were quickly aroused as The Patriarchs's incredibly meandering and scattered structure became apparent to me. Ms Saini
And no, spending a couple of chapters going into descriptions of some of the world鈥檚 few remaining matrifocal societies doesn鈥檛 compensate for this book鈥檚 (yet again) 鈥榮pread-too-thin鈥� superficiality; yes, just as with the recent train wreck of a read that was Period, Ms Saini spent too much time including way too many details that weren鈥檛 immediately relevant to the (supposed) topic at hand, instead of focusing on findings, from various scholars and researchers, that actually pertained to the subject of the emergence of patriarchy. In a book that is shorter than Gerda Lerner鈥檚, and pretends to look at the evidence from different fields of research, you can鈥檛 afford to lose sight of your purported topical through-line like this!
This book is undoubtedly a work of pop-science non-fiction, because it really shows in a bad way. I guess I鈥檝e grown used to more academic, or scholarly publications, because the absence of proper citation work really freaking bugged me in this one. All the more so given I know, for a fact, that Ms Saini misrepresented some of the scholarship she cited in The Patriarchs. To be more specific: the way she talked about Lerner鈥檚 book (which I just read, so I鈥檓 not exaggerating here), and research, exuded so much bad faith it actively angered me*. I can鈥檛 express how thoroughly shattered my respect for her work as a journalist was reading this book. Given she did this, and given the lack of citations, how can I then trust she properly represented other scholars鈥� and researchers鈥� work?
Finally, The Patriarchs does this infuriating, 鈥榳okist鈥� thing of downplaying the very existence of patriarchy, and sex-based oppression, by not only being confusingly silent on the importance of humanity鈥檚 'Ur-difference', that of sex, and the unequal division of reproductive labour that is inherent to our condition as gestating mammals鈥� but also by watering down the actual meaning of patriarchy. I wish I鈥檇 written the relevant page number down before I got rid of my copy, so take all of this with a healthy pinch of salt of course, but the author more or less concluded her book with the idea that: 鈥�eh, patriarchy is a system of oppression like any other, where some people have power over others鈥�. Some peopl. Riiiiiight.
When I read that, I was kinda like: fuck straight off, honestly. What is even the point of writing a book like this if we鈥檙e gonna, yet again, yeet sex class analysis out鈥� the window, and thereby minimise the historical struggle of women for the recognition of our dignity as human beings in the face of, and liberation from systems of male domination and privilege? I鈥檓鈥� just so sick of this shit.
So yeah, this was a paltry 3.5-4/10 read for me. But I鈥檒l be generous and allow that if you鈥檝e never, ever read anything about this topic, The Patriarchs isn鈥檛 the worst book you could pick up as an introduction to it. But please, for the love of Goddess, don鈥檛 stop your exploration there, because overall, this really ain鈥檛 it!
*Full context: I honestly don鈥檛 know if Ms Saini read The Creation of Patriarchy in full, because she contended, in The Patriarchs, that Gerder Lerner stated women鈥檚 subjugation was partly due to their weaker 鈥�biological natures鈥�. But that is absolute horseshit, plain and simple. What Ms Lerner did, in her treatise, was look at several different factors which 肠辞耻濒诲鈥檝别 constituted necessary conditions for a gradual shift from primitive egalitarianism (or matrifocality) to male-dominated social groups, which then would鈥檝e progressively coalesced into patriarchal state societies. Some of those factors are, yes, biological, insofar as women are the human beings who bear, birth, and breastfeed children, which creates an inherent, unequal division between the sexes in terms of reproductive labour. This is feminist theory 101, for fuck鈥檚 sake, and shouldn鈥檛 be controversial in the slightest!
Ms Saini also then went on to disagree with Lerner about the primacy of sex, as opposed to socio-economic class, as an axis of oppression, referring, specifically, to the historical relationship between marriage and slavery. Now, putting aside the question of 鈥榳hich axis of oppression came first鈥�, since it鈥檚 mostly a matter of speculation and opinion at this point, the hilarious thing is that Ms Saini followed her blanket disagreement 鈥� delivered without any sort of supporting argumentation, mind you 鈥� with a near copy-paste of Lerner鈥檚 own development on the subject in The Creation of Patriarchy. I swear you cannot make this shit up 鈥� wild'.
February 12, 2025
3.5猸�
This was a really interesting book that follows the author's quest in finding the origins of patriarchy. We explore different histories and cultures, along with these people's relationships with gender.
I had a good time with this, but the writing was a bit dense for my taste. One thing this book really emphasized to me was to not look at the world in a binary. Humans have a tendency to work in extremes, but it is important to see the grey areas.
Highly recommend to those who want to explore patriarchy and how it influences every part of our lives.
This was a really interesting book that follows the author's quest in finding the origins of patriarchy. We explore different histories and cultures, along with these people's relationships with gender.
I had a good time with this, but the writing was a bit dense for my taste. One thing this book really emphasized to me was to not look at the world in a binary. Humans have a tendency to work in extremes, but it is important to see the grey areas.
Highly recommend to those who want to explore patriarchy and how it influences every part of our lives.
March 15, 2023
Deeply disappointing. Poorly structured and the author repeatedly fabricated nonsensical strawmen that no one is actually arguing, to then refute them and later build them up again. The book never really delivered on the overall intended theme, just meandered around and touched upon aspects of patriarchy throughout time, always falling short of the story in each case. And throughout the book she used the term "gender" to mean many different things, which made the book even more confusing to read.
May 29, 2023
袪邪蟹褏胁褗褉谢褟薪邪, 薪械褋褌褉褍泻褌褍褉懈褉邪薪邪, 斜械蟹 褟褋薪邪 胁懈蟹懈褟 泻邪泻胁芯 懈 薪邪 泻芯谐芯 懈褋泻邪 写邪 泻邪卸械. DNF.
February 28, 2023
Review of: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, by Angela Saini
by Stan Prager (2-28-23)
鈥淒own With the Patriarchy鈥� is a both a powerful rallying cry and a fashionable emblem broadcast in memes, coffee mugs, tee shirts鈥攁nd even, paired with an expletive, sung aloud in a popular Taylor Swift anthem. But what exactly is the patriarchy? Is it, as feminists would have it, a reflection of an entrenched system of male domination that defines power relationships between men and women in arenas public and private? Or, as some on the right might style it, a 鈥渨oke鈥� whine of victimization that downplays the equality today鈥檚 women have achieved at home and at work? Regardless, is male dominance simply the natural order of things, born out of traditional gender roles in hunting and gathering, reaping and sowing, sword-wielding and childbearing? Or was it鈥攁nd does it remain鈥攁n artificial institution imposed from above and stubbornly preserved? Do such patterns run deep into human history, or are they instead the relatively recent by-products of agriculture, of settled civilization, of states and empires? Did other lifeways once exist? And finally, perhaps most significantly, does it have to be this way?
A consideration of these and other related questions, both practical and existential, form the basis for The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, an extraordinary tour de force by Angela Saini marked by both a brilliant gift for analysis and an extremely talented pen. Saini, a science journalist and author of the groundbreaking, highly acclaimed Superior: The Return of Race Science, one-ups her own prior achievements by widening the lens on entrenched inequalities in human societies to look beyond race as a factor, a somewhat recent phenomenon in the greater scheme of things, to that of gender, which鈥攁t least on the face of it鈥攕eems far more ancient and deep-seated.
To that end, in The Patriarchs Saini takes the reader on a fascinating expedition to explore male-female relationships鈥攖hen and now鈥攔anging as far back as the nearly ten-thousand-year-old proto-city 脟atalh枚y眉k in present-day Turkey, where some have suggested that female deities were worshipped and matriarchy may have been the status quo, and flashing forward to the still ongoing protests in Iran, sparked by the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman detained for wearing an "improper" hijab. There are many stops in between, including the city-states of Classical Greece, which saw women controlled and even confined by their husbands in democratic Athens, but yet celebrated for their strength and independence (of a sorts) in the rigidly structured autocracy that defined the Spartan polis.
But most of the journey is contemporary and global in scope, from Seneca Falls, New York, where many Onondaga Native American women continue to enjoy a kind of gender equality that white American women could hardly imagine when they launched their bid for women鈥檚 rights in that locale in 1848, to the modern-day states of Kerala and Meghalaya in India, which still retain deeply-rooted traditions of the matrilinear and the matriarchal, respectively, in a nation where arranged marriages remain surprisingly common. And to Afghanistan, where the recently reinstalled Taliban regime prohibits the education of girls and mandates the wearing of a Burqa in public, and Ethiopia, where in many parts of the country female genital mutilation is the rule, not the exception. There are even interviews with European women who grew up in the formerly socialist eastern bloc, some who look back wistfully to a time marked by better economic security and far greater opportunities for women, despite the repression that otherwise characterized the state.
I鈥檓 a big fan of Saini鈥檚 previous work, but still I still cracked the cover of her latest book with some degree of trepidation. This is, after all, such a loaded topic that it could, if mishandled, too easily turn to polemic. So I carefully sniffed around for manifesto-disguised-as-thesis, for axes cleverly cloaked from grinding, for cherry-picked data, and for broad brushes. (Metaphors gleefully mixed!) Thankfully, there was none of that. Instead, she approaches this effort throughout as a scientist, digging deep, asking questions, and reporting answers that sometimes are not to her liking. You have to respect that. My background is history, a study that emphasizes complexity and nuance, and mandates both careful research and an analytical evaluation of relevant data. Both science and history demand critical thinking skills. In The Patriarchs, Saini demonstrates that she walks with great competence in each of these disciplines.
A case in point is her discussion of 脟atalh枚y眉k, an astonishing neolithic site first excavated by English archaeologist James Mellaart in the late 1950s that revealed notable hallmarks of settled civilization uncommon for its era. Based on what he identified as figurines of female deities, such as the famous Seated Woman of 脟atalh枚y眉k that dates back to 6000 BCE, Mellaart claimed that a 鈥淢other Goddess鈥� culture prevailed. The notion that goddesses once dominated a distant past was dramatically boosted by Lithuanian archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas, who wrote widely on this topic, and argued as well that a peaceful, matriarchal society was characteristic to the neolithic settlements of Old Europe prior to being overrun by Indo-European marauders from the north who imposed a warlike patriarchy upon the subjugated population.
I squirmed a bit in my seat as I read this, knowing that the respective conclusions of both Mellaart and Gimbutas have since been, based upon more rigorous studies, largely discredited as wildly overdrawn. But there was no need for such concerns, for in subsequent pages Saini herself points to current experts and the scholarly consensus to rebut at least some of the bolder assertions of these earlier archaeologists. It turns out that in both 脟atalh枚y眉k and Old Europe, while society was probably not hierarchal, it was likely more gender-neutral than matriarchal. It is clear that the author should be commended for her exhaustive research. While reading of Indo-European invaders鈥攕omething Gimbutas got right鈥攎y thoughts instantly went to David Anthony鈥檚 magnificent study, The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, which I read some years back. When I thumbed ahead to the 鈥淣otes,鈥� I was delighted to find a citation for the Anthony book!
It is soon clear that in her search for the origins of inequality, Saini鈥檚 goal is to ask more questions than insist upon answers. Also increasingly evident is that even if it seems to have become more common in the past centuries, patriarchy is not the norm. No, it doesn鈥檛 have to be this way. Perhaps matriarchy did not characterize 脟atalh枚y眉k鈥攁nd we really can鈥檛 be certain鈥攂ut there is evidence for matriarchal societies elsewhere; some still flourish to this day. History and events in the current millennium demonstrate that there are choices, and societies can鈥攁nd we can鈥攃hoose equality rather than a condition where one group is dominated by another based upon race, caste, or gender.
With all of the author鈥檚 questions and her search for answers, however, it is the journey that is most enjoyable. In such an expansive work of science, history, and philosophy, the narrative never bogs down. And while the scope is vast, it is only a couple of hundred pages. I actually found myself wanting more.
If there is one area where I would caution Saini, it was in her treatment of ancient Greece. Yes, based upon the literature, Athenian women seem to have been stifled and Spartan women less inhibited, but of the hundreds of poleis that existed in the Classical period, we really only have relevant information for a few, surviving data is weighted heavily towards the elites of Athens and Sparta, and much of it is tarnished by editorializing on both sides that reflected the antipathy between these two bitter rivals. There is more to the story. Aspasia, the mistress of the Athenian statesman Pericles, was a powerful figure in her own right. Lysistrata, the splendid political satire created by the Athenian Aristophanes, smacks of a kind of ancient feminism as it has women on both sides of the Peloponnesian War denying sex to their men until a truce is called. This play could never have resonated if the female characters were wholly imagined. And while we can perhaps admire the status of a Spartan woman when juxtaposed with her Athenian counterpart, we must remember that their primary role in that rigid, militaristic society was to bear the sons of warriors.
But the station of a Spartan woman raises an interesting counterintuitive that I had hoped Saini would explore. Why was it鈥攁nd does it remain the case鈥攖hat women seem to gain greater freedom in autocratic states than democratic ones? It is certainly anachronistic to style fifth century Sparta as totalitarian, but the structure of the state seems to have far more in common with the twentieth century Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, where despite repression women achieved far greater equality than they did in Athens or, at least until very recently, in Europe and the United States. And I really wanted a chapter on China, where the crippling horror of foot-binding for girls was not abolished until 1912, and still lingered in places until the communist takeover mid-century. Mao was responsible for the wanton slaughter of millions, yet women attained a greater equality under his brutal regime than they had for the thousands of years that preceded him.
While she touches upon it, I also looked for a wider discussion of how conservative women can sometimes come to not only represent the greatest obstacle for women鈥檚 rights but to advance rather than impede the patriarchy. As an American, there are many painful reminders of that here, where in decades past the antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly nearly single-handedly derailed passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Most recently, it was a coalition of Republican and Christian evangelical women who led the crusade that eventually succeeded in curbing abortion rights. But then, as I wished for another hundred pages to go over all this, Saini summed up the incongruity succinctly in a discussion of female genital mutilation in Africa, citing the resistance to change by an Ethiopian girl who asserted: 鈥淚f our mothers should refuse to continue cutting us, we will cut ourselves.鈥� [p191]
In the end, Saini鈥檚 strategy was sound. The Patriarchs boasts a manageable size and the kind of readability that might be sacrificed in a bulkier treatise. The author doesn鈥檛 try to say it all: only what is most significant. Also, both the length and the presentation lend appeal to a popular audience, while the research and extensive notes will suit an academic one, as well. That is an especially rare accomplishment these days!
Whatever preconceived notions the reader might have, based upon the title and its implications, Saini demonstrates again and again that it鈥檚 not her intention to prove a point, but rather to make you think. Here she succeeds wonderfully. And you get the impression that it is her intellectual curiosity that guides her life. Born in London of ethnic Indian parents and now residing in New York City, she is a highly educated woman with brown skin, feet that can step comfortably into milieus west and east, and an insightful mind that fully embraces the possibilities of the modern world. Thus, Saini is in so many ways ideally suited to address issues of racism and sexism. She is still quite young, and this is her fourth book. I suspect there will be many more. In the meantime, read this one. It will be well worth your time.
Note: This review was based upon an Uncorrected Page Proof edition
Note: I reviewed Saini鈥檚 previous book Superior here:
Review of: Superior: The Return of Race Science, by Angela Saini
Review of: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, by Angela Saini 鈥� Regarp Book Blog
by Stan Prager (2-28-23)
鈥淒own With the Patriarchy鈥� is a both a powerful rallying cry and a fashionable emblem broadcast in memes, coffee mugs, tee shirts鈥攁nd even, paired with an expletive, sung aloud in a popular Taylor Swift anthem. But what exactly is the patriarchy? Is it, as feminists would have it, a reflection of an entrenched system of male domination that defines power relationships between men and women in arenas public and private? Or, as some on the right might style it, a 鈥渨oke鈥� whine of victimization that downplays the equality today鈥檚 women have achieved at home and at work? Regardless, is male dominance simply the natural order of things, born out of traditional gender roles in hunting and gathering, reaping and sowing, sword-wielding and childbearing? Or was it鈥攁nd does it remain鈥攁n artificial institution imposed from above and stubbornly preserved? Do such patterns run deep into human history, or are they instead the relatively recent by-products of agriculture, of settled civilization, of states and empires? Did other lifeways once exist? And finally, perhaps most significantly, does it have to be this way?
A consideration of these and other related questions, both practical and existential, form the basis for The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, an extraordinary tour de force by Angela Saini marked by both a brilliant gift for analysis and an extremely talented pen. Saini, a science journalist and author of the groundbreaking, highly acclaimed Superior: The Return of Race Science, one-ups her own prior achievements by widening the lens on entrenched inequalities in human societies to look beyond race as a factor, a somewhat recent phenomenon in the greater scheme of things, to that of gender, which鈥攁t least on the face of it鈥攕eems far more ancient and deep-seated.
To that end, in The Patriarchs Saini takes the reader on a fascinating expedition to explore male-female relationships鈥攖hen and now鈥攔anging as far back as the nearly ten-thousand-year-old proto-city 脟atalh枚y眉k in present-day Turkey, where some have suggested that female deities were worshipped and matriarchy may have been the status quo, and flashing forward to the still ongoing protests in Iran, sparked by the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman detained for wearing an "improper" hijab. There are many stops in between, including the city-states of Classical Greece, which saw women controlled and even confined by their husbands in democratic Athens, but yet celebrated for their strength and independence (of a sorts) in the rigidly structured autocracy that defined the Spartan polis.
But most of the journey is contemporary and global in scope, from Seneca Falls, New York, where many Onondaga Native American women continue to enjoy a kind of gender equality that white American women could hardly imagine when they launched their bid for women鈥檚 rights in that locale in 1848, to the modern-day states of Kerala and Meghalaya in India, which still retain deeply-rooted traditions of the matrilinear and the matriarchal, respectively, in a nation where arranged marriages remain surprisingly common. And to Afghanistan, where the recently reinstalled Taliban regime prohibits the education of girls and mandates the wearing of a Burqa in public, and Ethiopia, where in many parts of the country female genital mutilation is the rule, not the exception. There are even interviews with European women who grew up in the formerly socialist eastern bloc, some who look back wistfully to a time marked by better economic security and far greater opportunities for women, despite the repression that otherwise characterized the state.
I鈥檓 a big fan of Saini鈥檚 previous work, but still I still cracked the cover of her latest book with some degree of trepidation. This is, after all, such a loaded topic that it could, if mishandled, too easily turn to polemic. So I carefully sniffed around for manifesto-disguised-as-thesis, for axes cleverly cloaked from grinding, for cherry-picked data, and for broad brushes. (Metaphors gleefully mixed!) Thankfully, there was none of that. Instead, she approaches this effort throughout as a scientist, digging deep, asking questions, and reporting answers that sometimes are not to her liking. You have to respect that. My background is history, a study that emphasizes complexity and nuance, and mandates both careful research and an analytical evaluation of relevant data. Both science and history demand critical thinking skills. In The Patriarchs, Saini demonstrates that she walks with great competence in each of these disciplines.
A case in point is her discussion of 脟atalh枚y眉k, an astonishing neolithic site first excavated by English archaeologist James Mellaart in the late 1950s that revealed notable hallmarks of settled civilization uncommon for its era. Based on what he identified as figurines of female deities, such as the famous Seated Woman of 脟atalh枚y眉k that dates back to 6000 BCE, Mellaart claimed that a 鈥淢other Goddess鈥� culture prevailed. The notion that goddesses once dominated a distant past was dramatically boosted by Lithuanian archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas, who wrote widely on this topic, and argued as well that a peaceful, matriarchal society was characteristic to the neolithic settlements of Old Europe prior to being overrun by Indo-European marauders from the north who imposed a warlike patriarchy upon the subjugated population.
I squirmed a bit in my seat as I read this, knowing that the respective conclusions of both Mellaart and Gimbutas have since been, based upon more rigorous studies, largely discredited as wildly overdrawn. But there was no need for such concerns, for in subsequent pages Saini herself points to current experts and the scholarly consensus to rebut at least some of the bolder assertions of these earlier archaeologists. It turns out that in both 脟atalh枚y眉k and Old Europe, while society was probably not hierarchal, it was likely more gender-neutral than matriarchal. It is clear that the author should be commended for her exhaustive research. While reading of Indo-European invaders鈥攕omething Gimbutas got right鈥攎y thoughts instantly went to David Anthony鈥檚 magnificent study, The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, which I read some years back. When I thumbed ahead to the 鈥淣otes,鈥� I was delighted to find a citation for the Anthony book!
It is soon clear that in her search for the origins of inequality, Saini鈥檚 goal is to ask more questions than insist upon answers. Also increasingly evident is that even if it seems to have become more common in the past centuries, patriarchy is not the norm. No, it doesn鈥檛 have to be this way. Perhaps matriarchy did not characterize 脟atalh枚y眉k鈥攁nd we really can鈥檛 be certain鈥攂ut there is evidence for matriarchal societies elsewhere; some still flourish to this day. History and events in the current millennium demonstrate that there are choices, and societies can鈥攁nd we can鈥攃hoose equality rather than a condition where one group is dominated by another based upon race, caste, or gender.
With all of the author鈥檚 questions and her search for answers, however, it is the journey that is most enjoyable. In such an expansive work of science, history, and philosophy, the narrative never bogs down. And while the scope is vast, it is only a couple of hundred pages. I actually found myself wanting more.
If there is one area where I would caution Saini, it was in her treatment of ancient Greece. Yes, based upon the literature, Athenian women seem to have been stifled and Spartan women less inhibited, but of the hundreds of poleis that existed in the Classical period, we really only have relevant information for a few, surviving data is weighted heavily towards the elites of Athens and Sparta, and much of it is tarnished by editorializing on both sides that reflected the antipathy between these two bitter rivals. There is more to the story. Aspasia, the mistress of the Athenian statesman Pericles, was a powerful figure in her own right. Lysistrata, the splendid political satire created by the Athenian Aristophanes, smacks of a kind of ancient feminism as it has women on both sides of the Peloponnesian War denying sex to their men until a truce is called. This play could never have resonated if the female characters were wholly imagined. And while we can perhaps admire the status of a Spartan woman when juxtaposed with her Athenian counterpart, we must remember that their primary role in that rigid, militaristic society was to bear the sons of warriors.
But the station of a Spartan woman raises an interesting counterintuitive that I had hoped Saini would explore. Why was it鈥攁nd does it remain the case鈥攖hat women seem to gain greater freedom in autocratic states than democratic ones? It is certainly anachronistic to style fifth century Sparta as totalitarian, but the structure of the state seems to have far more in common with the twentieth century Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, where despite repression women achieved far greater equality than they did in Athens or, at least until very recently, in Europe and the United States. And I really wanted a chapter on China, where the crippling horror of foot-binding for girls was not abolished until 1912, and still lingered in places until the communist takeover mid-century. Mao was responsible for the wanton slaughter of millions, yet women attained a greater equality under his brutal regime than they had for the thousands of years that preceded him.
While she touches upon it, I also looked for a wider discussion of how conservative women can sometimes come to not only represent the greatest obstacle for women鈥檚 rights but to advance rather than impede the patriarchy. As an American, there are many painful reminders of that here, where in decades past the antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly nearly single-handedly derailed passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Most recently, it was a coalition of Republican and Christian evangelical women who led the crusade that eventually succeeded in curbing abortion rights. But then, as I wished for another hundred pages to go over all this, Saini summed up the incongruity succinctly in a discussion of female genital mutilation in Africa, citing the resistance to change by an Ethiopian girl who asserted: 鈥淚f our mothers should refuse to continue cutting us, we will cut ourselves.鈥� [p191]
In the end, Saini鈥檚 strategy was sound. The Patriarchs boasts a manageable size and the kind of readability that might be sacrificed in a bulkier treatise. The author doesn鈥檛 try to say it all: only what is most significant. Also, both the length and the presentation lend appeal to a popular audience, while the research and extensive notes will suit an academic one, as well. That is an especially rare accomplishment these days!
Whatever preconceived notions the reader might have, based upon the title and its implications, Saini demonstrates again and again that it鈥檚 not her intention to prove a point, but rather to make you think. Here she succeeds wonderfully. And you get the impression that it is her intellectual curiosity that guides her life. Born in London of ethnic Indian parents and now residing in New York City, she is a highly educated woman with brown skin, feet that can step comfortably into milieus west and east, and an insightful mind that fully embraces the possibilities of the modern world. Thus, Saini is in so many ways ideally suited to address issues of racism and sexism. She is still quite young, and this is her fourth book. I suspect there will be many more. In the meantime, read this one. It will be well worth your time.
Note: This review was based upon an Uncorrected Page Proof edition
Note: I reviewed Saini鈥檚 previous book Superior here:
Review of: Superior: The Return of Race Science, by Angela Saini
Review of: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, by Angela Saini 鈥� Regarp Book Blog
March 8, 2025
携 锌芯褋褌邪胁谢褞 5 蟹褨褉芯泻 蟹邪 谐谢邪胁褍 锌褉芯 袉褉邪薪: 蟹写芯斜褍褌泻懈 锌褉邪胁 谢褞写懈薪懈 褨 卸褨薪芯泻 蟹芯泻褉械屑邪 屑芯卸褍褌褜 斜褍褌懈 锌芯屑薪芯卸械薪褨 薪邪 薪褍谢褜 胁褋褜芯谐芯 蟹邪 泻褨谢褜泻邪 褉芯泻褨胁.
袟邪谐邪谢芯屑 褑械 写芯斜褉芯褌薪懈泄 薪邪褍泻锌芯锌, 蟹 泻褍锌芯褞 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褩 锌褉芯 褉褨蟹薪褨 褔邪褋懈 褨 谐械芯谐褉邪褎褨褩 胁褨写 胁械谢懈褔械蟹薪芯褩 泻褨谢褜泻芯褋褌褨 写芯褋谢褨写薪懈泻褨胁.
袚谢邪胁邪 锌褉芯 小袪小袪 - 褑械 褎械泄褋锌邪谢屑, 邪谢械, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褟 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褞, 褌芯 薪邪褩胁薪褨 褍褟胁谢械薪薪褟 锌褉芯 写懈泻褌邪褌褍褉懈 - 褑械 锌芯褕懈褉械薪械 褟胁懈褖械 褋械褉械写 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 胁 薪懈褏 薪褨泻芯谢懈 薪械 卸懈胁.
袟邪谐邪谢芯屑 褑械 写芯斜褉芯褌薪懈泄 薪邪褍泻锌芯锌, 蟹 泻褍锌芯褞 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褩 锌褉芯 褉褨蟹薪褨 褔邪褋懈 褨 谐械芯谐褉邪褎褨褩 胁褨写 胁械谢懈褔械蟹薪芯褩 泻褨谢褜泻芯褋褌褨 写芯褋谢褨写薪懈泻褨胁.
袚谢邪胁邪 锌褉芯 小袪小袪 - 褑械 褎械泄褋锌邪谢屑, 邪谢械, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褟 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褞, 褌芯 薪邪褩胁薪褨 褍褟胁谢械薪薪褟 锌褉芯 写懈泻褌邪褌褍褉懈 - 褑械 锌芯褕懈褉械薪械 褟胁懈褖械 褋械褉械写 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 胁 薪懈褏 薪褨泻芯谢懈 薪械 卸懈胁.
March 28, 2025
8/10
孝褉邪写懈褑褨褟 褌邪泻邪, 褟泻芯褞 屑懈 胁懈褉褨褕懈屑芯 褩褩 蟹褉芯斜懈褌懈.
啸芯褉芯褕邪, 覒褉褍薪褌芯胁薪邪 泻薪懈卸泻邪, 胁 褟泻褨泄 胁懈 写褨蟹薪邪褦褌械褋褜 斜褨谢褜褕械 锌褉芯:
鉁ㄑ傃€邪写懈褑褨褩 褍 屑邪褌褉懈谢褨薪褨泄薪懈褏 褉芯写懈薪邪褏 褌邪 芦褎械屑褨薪褨褋褌懈褔薪褨 褍褌芯锌褨褩禄
*褋褌褨泻械褉 锌械褋懈泻邪, 褟泻懈泄 褏褌懈胁芯 褍褋屑褨褏邪褦褌褜褋褟*
鉁ㄑ佈冄佇垦栃谎屟佈傂残�, 胁 褟泻懈褏 谐械薪写械褉 薪械 斜褍胁 芯褉谐邪薪褨蟹邪褑褨泄薪懈屑 锌褉懈薪褑懈锌芯屑, 邪 写谢褟 褋褌邪褌褍褋褍 芯褋芯斜懈 斜褨谢褜褕械 胁邪卸懈谢懈 胁褨泻 褌邪 褋褌邪褉褕懈薪褋褌胁芯
(褑褨泻邪胁懈薪泻邪 写谢褟 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 薪械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褦 褟胁懈褖械 谐械薪写械褉薪芯 薪械泄褌褉邪谢褜薪懈褏 蟹邪泄屑械薪薪懈泻褨胁: 蟹 写械褟泻懈褏 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈褏 褋胁褨写褔械薪褜 斜褍胁邪褦 胁邪卸泻芯 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨褌懈, 褏褌芯 蟹 锌褉邪胁懈褌械谢褨胁 斜褍胁 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪屑懈, 邪 褏褌芯 卸褨薪泻邪屑懈 - 褍 蟹胁鈥櫻徯沸貉� 蟹 胁褨写褋褍褌薪褨褋褌褞 芯褋芯斜懈褋褌懈褏 蟹邪泄屑械薪薪懈泻褨胁 写谢褟 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻褨胁 褌邪 卸褨薪芯泻, 蟹邪邪邪写芯芯芯芯胁谐芯 写芯 XXI 褋褌芯谢褨褌褌褟);
鉁ㄐ靶叫囱€芯谐褨薪薪褨褋褌褜, 褌褉邪薪褋谐械薪写械褉薪褨褋褌褜 褌邪 褨薪褌械褉褋械泻褋 胁 褉芯蟹褉褨蟹褨 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩;
鉁ㄑ傂�, 泻芯谢懈 谐械薪写械褉 褋褌邪褦 锌芯屑褨褌薪懈屑. 效懈 褨褋薪褍褦 胁 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 屑懈褌褜, 芦锌芯胁芯褉芯褌薪懈泄 屑芯屑械薪褌禄, 泻芯谢懈 写谢褟 卸褨薪芯泻 胁褋械 蟹屑褨薪懈谢芯褋褟?
鉁ㄑ壭� 褌邪泻芯谐芯 胁 褌芯屑褍 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪褌褨, 褖芯 卸褨薪泻懈 薪械 谢懈褕械 胁褨写褔褍胁邪褞褌褜 锌芯泻芯褉褍 泄芯屑褍, 邪谢械 泄 褨薪芯写褨 蟹邪褏懈褖邪褞褌褜 泄芯谐芯.
袗 谐芯谢芯胁薪械 - 褑褟 泻薪懈卸泻邪 写械褌邪谢褜薪芯 褉芯蟹斜懈褉邪褦 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪褌 褟泻 褟胁懈褖械 褌邪 锌芯褟褋薪褞褦 锌褉懈褉芯写褍 泄芯谐芯 锌芯褏芯写卸械薪薪褟.
鉁� 孝邪屑, 写械 褎褨谢芯褋芯褎懈 泄 薪邪褍泻芯胁褑褨 邪锌械谢褞胁邪谢懈 写芯 邪胁褌芯褉懈褌械褌褍 斜褨芯谢芯谐褨褩, 蟹芯斜褉邪卸邪褞褔懈 卸褨薪芯泻 薪懈卸褔懈屑懈, 褉械谢褨谐褨泄薪褨 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻懈 邪锌械谢褞胁邪谢懈 写芯 斜芯卸械褋褌胁械薪薪芯谐芯 邪胁褌芯褉懈褌械褌褍.
袦褨薪褍褋懈, 褟泻褨 褟 胁褨写蟹薪邪褔懈谢邪 写谢褟 褋械斜械:
鉁ㄐ懶靶承把傂� 锌芯胁褌芯褉褨胁 (褖芯 褟泻芯褞褋褜 屑褨褉芯褞 锌芯褟褋薪褞褦褌褜褋褟 薪邪褋褌褍锌薪懈屑 锌褍薪泻褌芯屑).
鉁ㄐ捬栃囱佈冄傂窖栄佈傃� 褔褨褌泻芯褩 褋褌褉褍泻褌褍褉懈.
袣薪懈卸泻邪 褋泻谢邪写邪褦褌褜褋褟 蟹 胁芯褋褜屑懈 褉芯蟹写褨谢褨胁, 邪谢械 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褟 锌芯写邪褦褌褜褋褟 写芯褋懈褌褜 褏邪芯褌懈褔薪芯 - 薪械屑邪褦 褔褨褌泻芯褩 褏褉芯薪芯谢芯谐褨褔薪芯褩 锌芯褋谢褨写芯胁薪芯褋褌褨 褔懈 锌谢邪胁薪芯谐芯 锌械褉械褏芯写褍 胁褨写 芯写薪懈褏 褋锌褨谢褜薪芯褌 褔懈 屑褨褋褑械胁芯褋褌械泄 写芯 褨薪褕懈褏.
袣薪懈谐邪 斜褨谢褜褕械 芯褉谐邪薪褨蟹芯胁邪薪邪 蟹邪 褌邪泻懈屑 锌褉懈薪褑懈锌芯屑: 邪胁褌芯褉泻邪 胁懈褋褍胁邪褦 褟泻械褋褜 褌胁械褉写卸械薪薪褟, 邪 锌芯褌褨屑 薪邪 锌褨写泻褉褨锌谢械薪薪褟 褑褜芯谐芯 褌胁械褉写卸械薪薪褟 薪邪胁芯写懈褌褜 褉褨蟹薪褨 锌褉懈泻谢邪写懈. 袉 褨薪芯写褨 芯写薪褨 褨 褌褨 卸 褉械褔褨 锌芯胁褌芯褉褞褞褌褜褋褟 褍 褉褨蟹薪懈褏 褉芯蟹写褨谢邪褏. 效邪褋芯屑 褑褞 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褞 斜褍谢芯 写芯褋懈褌褜 褋泻谢邪写薪芯 褋泻谢邪褋褌懈 胁芯褦写懈薪芯, 褨 褑械 褌褉芯褏懈 胁褨写胁芯谢褨泻邪谢芯.
鉁ㄐ毿拘窖傃€芯胁械褉褋褨泄薪懈泄 褉芯蟹写褨谢 锌褉芯 谐械薪写械褉薪褍 褉褨胁薪褨褋褌褜 胁 褉邪写褟薪褋褜泻芯屑褍 褋芯褞蟹褨 (褌褍褌 斜械蟹 芯褋芯斜谢懈胁懈褏 泻芯屑械薪褌邪褉褨胁, 锌褉芯褋褌芯 斜邪谐邪褌芯 锌褉芯褋褌芯褉褍 写谢褟 写懈褋泻褍褋褨褩).
孝懈屑 薪械 屑械薪褕, 泻薪懈卸泻邪 屑械薪褨 褋锌芯写芯斜邪谢邪褋褜 - 褟 褋锌懈褋邪谢邪 褨 蟹屑邪谢褞胁邪谢邪 褩褩 胁蟹写芯胁卸 褨 胁锌芯锌械褉械泻.
孝芯屑褍, 褟泻褖芯 胁懈 褕褍泻邪褦褌械 褋芯褑褨芯谢芯谐褨褔薪芯-锌芯谢褨褌芯谢芯谐褨褔薪芯-褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褍 泻薪懈卸泻褍 锌褉芯 褉芯蟹锌芯写褨谢 胁谢邪写懈 屑褨卸 卸褨薪泻邪屑懈 褌邪 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪屑懈 褍 褉褨蟹薪懈褏 屑褨褋褑械胁芯褋褌褟褏 褍 褉褨蟹薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褨 锌械褉褨芯写懈, 褌芯 褑械 胁邪褕邪 蟹褍锌懈薪泻邪.
孝褉邪写懈褑褨褟 褌邪泻邪, 褟泻芯褞 屑懈 胁懈褉褨褕懈屑芯 褩褩 蟹褉芯斜懈褌懈.
啸芯褉芯褕邪, 覒褉褍薪褌芯胁薪邪 泻薪懈卸泻邪, 胁 褟泻褨泄 胁懈 写褨蟹薪邪褦褌械褋褜 斜褨谢褜褕械 锌褉芯:
鉁ㄑ傃€邪写懈褑褨褩 褍 屑邪褌褉懈谢褨薪褨泄薪懈褏 褉芯写懈薪邪褏 褌邪 芦褎械屑褨薪褨褋褌懈褔薪褨 褍褌芯锌褨褩禄
*褋褌褨泻械褉 锌械褋懈泻邪, 褟泻懈泄 褏褌懈胁芯 褍褋屑褨褏邪褦褌褜褋褟*
鉁ㄑ佈冄佇垦栃谎屟佈傂残�, 胁 褟泻懈褏 谐械薪写械褉 薪械 斜褍胁 芯褉谐邪薪褨蟹邪褑褨泄薪懈屑 锌褉懈薪褑懈锌芯屑, 邪 写谢褟 褋褌邪褌褍褋褍 芯褋芯斜懈 斜褨谢褜褕械 胁邪卸懈谢懈 胁褨泻 褌邪 褋褌邪褉褕懈薪褋褌胁芯
(褑褨泻邪胁懈薪泻邪 写谢褟 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 薪械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褦 褟胁懈褖械 谐械薪写械褉薪芯 薪械泄褌褉邪谢褜薪懈褏 蟹邪泄屑械薪薪懈泻褨胁: 蟹 写械褟泻懈褏 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈褏 褋胁褨写褔械薪褜 斜褍胁邪褦 胁邪卸泻芯 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨褌懈, 褏褌芯 蟹 锌褉邪胁懈褌械谢褨胁 斜褍胁 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪屑懈, 邪 褏褌芯 卸褨薪泻邪屑懈 - 褍 蟹胁鈥櫻徯沸貉� 蟹 胁褨写褋褍褌薪褨褋褌褞 芯褋芯斜懈褋褌懈褏 蟹邪泄屑械薪薪懈泻褨胁 写谢褟 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻褨胁 褌邪 卸褨薪芯泻, 蟹邪邪邪写芯芯芯芯胁谐芯 写芯 XXI 褋褌芯谢褨褌褌褟);
鉁ㄐ靶叫囱€芯谐褨薪薪褨褋褌褜, 褌褉邪薪褋谐械薪写械褉薪褨褋褌褜 褌邪 褨薪褌械褉褋械泻褋 胁 褉芯蟹褉褨蟹褨 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩;
鉁ㄑ傂�, 泻芯谢懈 谐械薪写械褉 褋褌邪褦 锌芯屑褨褌薪懈屑. 效懈 褨褋薪褍褦 胁 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 屑懈褌褜, 芦锌芯胁芯褉芯褌薪懈泄 屑芯屑械薪褌禄, 泻芯谢懈 写谢褟 卸褨薪芯泻 胁褋械 蟹屑褨薪懈谢芯褋褟?
鉁ㄑ壭� 褌邪泻芯谐芯 胁 褌芯屑褍 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪褌褨, 褖芯 卸褨薪泻懈 薪械 谢懈褕械 胁褨写褔褍胁邪褞褌褜 锌芯泻芯褉褍 泄芯屑褍, 邪谢械 泄 褨薪芯写褨 蟹邪褏懈褖邪褞褌褜 泄芯谐芯.
袗 谐芯谢芯胁薪械 - 褑褟 泻薪懈卸泻邪 写械褌邪谢褜薪芯 褉芯蟹斜懈褉邪褦 锌邪褌褉褨邪褉褏邪褌 褟泻 褟胁懈褖械 褌邪 锌芯褟褋薪褞褦 锌褉懈褉芯写褍 泄芯谐芯 锌芯褏芯写卸械薪薪褟.
鉁� 孝邪屑, 写械 褎褨谢芯褋芯褎懈 泄 薪邪褍泻芯胁褑褨 邪锌械谢褞胁邪谢懈 写芯 邪胁褌芯褉懈褌械褌褍 斜褨芯谢芯谐褨褩, 蟹芯斜褉邪卸邪褞褔懈 卸褨薪芯泻 薪懈卸褔懈屑懈, 褉械谢褨谐褨泄薪褨 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻懈 邪锌械谢褞胁邪谢懈 写芯 斜芯卸械褋褌胁械薪薪芯谐芯 邪胁褌芯褉懈褌械褌褍.
袦褨薪褍褋懈, 褟泻褨 褟 胁褨写蟹薪邪褔懈谢邪 写谢褟 褋械斜械:
鉁ㄐ懶靶承把傂� 锌芯胁褌芯褉褨胁 (褖芯 褟泻芯褞褋褜 屑褨褉芯褞 锌芯褟褋薪褞褦褌褜褋褟 薪邪褋褌褍锌薪懈屑 锌褍薪泻褌芯屑).
鉁ㄐ捬栃囱佈冄傂窖栄佈傃� 褔褨褌泻芯褩 褋褌褉褍泻褌褍褉懈.
袣薪懈卸泻邪 褋泻谢邪写邪褦褌褜褋褟 蟹 胁芯褋褜屑懈 褉芯蟹写褨谢褨胁, 邪谢械 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褟 锌芯写邪褦褌褜褋褟 写芯褋懈褌褜 褏邪芯褌懈褔薪芯 - 薪械屑邪褦 褔褨褌泻芯褩 褏褉芯薪芯谢芯谐褨褔薪芯褩 锌芯褋谢褨写芯胁薪芯褋褌褨 褔懈 锌谢邪胁薪芯谐芯 锌械褉械褏芯写褍 胁褨写 芯写薪懈褏 褋锌褨谢褜薪芯褌 褔懈 屑褨褋褑械胁芯褋褌械泄 写芯 褨薪褕懈褏.
袣薪懈谐邪 斜褨谢褜褕械 芯褉谐邪薪褨蟹芯胁邪薪邪 蟹邪 褌邪泻懈屑 锌褉懈薪褑懈锌芯屑: 邪胁褌芯褉泻邪 胁懈褋褍胁邪褦 褟泻械褋褜 褌胁械褉写卸械薪薪褟, 邪 锌芯褌褨屑 薪邪 锌褨写泻褉褨锌谢械薪薪褟 褑褜芯谐芯 褌胁械褉写卸械薪薪褟 薪邪胁芯写懈褌褜 褉褨蟹薪褨 锌褉懈泻谢邪写懈. 袉 褨薪芯写褨 芯写薪褨 褨 褌褨 卸 褉械褔褨 锌芯胁褌芯褉褞褞褌褜褋褟 褍 褉褨蟹薪懈褏 褉芯蟹写褨谢邪褏. 效邪褋芯屑 褑褞 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褞 斜褍谢芯 写芯褋懈褌褜 褋泻谢邪写薪芯 褋泻谢邪褋褌懈 胁芯褦写懈薪芯, 褨 褑械 褌褉芯褏懈 胁褨写胁芯谢褨泻邪谢芯.
鉁ㄐ毿拘窖傃€芯胁械褉褋褨泄薪懈泄 褉芯蟹写褨谢 锌褉芯 谐械薪写械褉薪褍 褉褨胁薪褨褋褌褜 胁 褉邪写褟薪褋褜泻芯屑褍 褋芯褞蟹褨 (褌褍褌 斜械蟹 芯褋芯斜谢懈胁懈褏 泻芯屑械薪褌邪褉褨胁, 锌褉芯褋褌芯 斜邪谐邪褌芯 锌褉芯褋褌芯褉褍 写谢褟 写懈褋泻褍褋褨褩).
孝懈屑 薪械 屑械薪褕, 泻薪懈卸泻邪 屑械薪褨 褋锌芯写芯斜邪谢邪褋褜 - 褟 褋锌懈褋邪谢邪 褨 蟹屑邪谢褞胁邪谢邪 褩褩 胁蟹写芯胁卸 褨 胁锌芯锌械褉械泻.
孝芯屑褍, 褟泻褖芯 胁懈 褕褍泻邪褦褌械 褋芯褑褨芯谢芯谐褨褔薪芯-锌芯谢褨褌芯谢芯谐褨褔薪芯-褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褍 泻薪懈卸泻褍 锌褉芯 褉芯蟹锌芯写褨谢 胁谢邪写懈 屑褨卸 卸褨薪泻邪屑懈 褌邪 褔芯谢芯胁褨泻邪屑懈 褍 褉褨蟹薪懈褏 屑褨褋褑械胁芯褋褌褟褏 褍 褉褨蟹薪褨 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褨 锌械褉褨芯写懈, 褌芯 褑械 胁邪褕邪 蟹褍锌懈薪泻邪.
September 8, 2023
3.5 I need to start by saying that I love Angela Saini's work and her previous books (Inferior and Superior) are among my favourite non-fiction books on racism and feminism. And The Patriarchs isn't bad by any means either, Saini is still a great writer and intelligent thinker and I agree with her main conclusion: that there are many patriarchies that are constantly remade and that they are not inevitable or natural. However, I think this time she has taken on too much.
Inferior and Superior also tackled very big themes, but there was a specific focus on the role of science in constructing male and white supremacy, which narrowed things down. Here, there's just too much to cover and no real explanation how patriarchy/patriarchies came to be. So the book reads like a collection of interesting vignettes on different aspects of patriarchy, but there is no clear structure or logic to it. Some topics, like the rise of monotheistic religions and their relationship with patriarchy, are in my view woefully underexamined. Considering that the book is literally called The Patriarchs (which has obvious biblical connotations), I found this especially weird and disappointing. Some elements, like the narrative about communism and patriarchy, I do not entirely agree with (but considering how sensitive I am on this issue as an Estonian, my criticisms are actually small), while her conclusions regarding Maria Gimbutas I DO agree with, but managed to get irritated by the dramatic storytelling on the way.
So, in summary, this is a moderately interesting book that is a decent read if you are interested in the topic, but do not expect any revolutionary revelations. I mostly listened to this book and if this is not a new area for you, it is perfectly fine to consume this way.
Inferior and Superior also tackled very big themes, but there was a specific focus on the role of science in constructing male and white supremacy, which narrowed things down. Here, there's just too much to cover and no real explanation how patriarchy/patriarchies came to be. So the book reads like a collection of interesting vignettes on different aspects of patriarchy, but there is no clear structure or logic to it. Some topics, like the rise of monotheistic religions and their relationship with patriarchy, are in my view woefully underexamined. Considering that the book is literally called The Patriarchs (which has obvious biblical connotations), I found this especially weird and disappointing. Some elements, like the narrative about communism and patriarchy, I do not entirely agree with (but considering how sensitive I am on this issue as an Estonian, my criticisms are actually small), while her conclusions regarding Maria Gimbutas I DO agree with, but managed to get irritated by the dramatic storytelling on the way.
So, in summary, this is a moderately interesting book that is a decent read if you are interested in the topic, but do not expect any revolutionary revelations. I mostly listened to this book and if this is not a new area for you, it is perfectly fine to consume this way.
March 3, 2023
Nothing to see here.
There was nothing in the book about the ORIGINS of male domination. This is especially important because it is what the aim of the book is supposed to be. The author spends a long time critiquing various theories of a supposed egalitarian early stage. This is good considering that all of them are based on high levels of speculation. But if we can't know for sure if there was an egalitarian early stage, then we can't know the ORIGINS of male domination.
The rest of the book falls into that annoying problem of anthropology; it reads so much into so little.
There was nothing in the book about the ORIGINS of male domination. This is especially important because it is what the aim of the book is supposed to be. The author spends a long time critiquing various theories of a supposed egalitarian early stage. This is good considering that all of them are based on high levels of speculation. But if we can't know for sure if there was an egalitarian early stage, then we can't know the ORIGINS of male domination.
The rest of the book falls into that annoying problem of anthropology; it reads so much into so little.
Read
July 1, 2023Would recommend. Really liked the stuff on archaeology and Neolithic/pre-historic communities. Actually managed to provide a reasonably definitive 鈥榓nswer鈥�, which I wasn鈥檛 expecting.
March 23, 2023
I鈥檝e read a fair amount on the origins and persistence of patriarchy from a political or social science perspective. The Patriarchs is interesting because it takes a different approach. It focuses particularly on archaeology, anthropology and genetics to consider where patriarchy might have come from and the variety of forms it takes. Saini also considers some contemporary and recent societies which offer a different model.
At its heart is the question often posed by feminist theorists 鈥� is patriarchy universal, and if so why? Some have speculated that there may have been prehistoric societies that were built around goddess-worship or more equal gender roles. Even if that is the case, why should it be a precondition for change? Shouldn鈥檛 the demand for equality rest on its own merits?
One area of the book I found particularly interesting was on the possible beginnings of patriarchy in Europe and Asia. In the 1960s, British-Dutch archaeologist James Mellaart discovered a spectacular female figurine at 脟atalh枚y眉k in modern day Turkey, on an excavation of a 9000-year-old settlement. This led to a narrative of female goddess worship and a matriarchal culture, although there are other interpretations. (Saini notes how the prejudices of researchers colour their thinking. So a body found buried with valuable weapons would be assumed to be male. If evidence proves it is female, researches would assume she must be the spouse or relative of a great male warrior, rather than a warrior honoured in her own right.)
His contemporary, archaeologist and researcher Marija Gimbutas, drew on her work on Neolithic cultures in the Danube Valley. She argued that there may have been matrilineal societies in Old Europe and parts of Asia which were subsequently overrun by a patrilineal, warrior Kurgan culture from the steppes. While there was scepticism about some of the more speculative elements of her work during her lifetime, recent scientific analysis at 脟atalh枚y眉k suggests men and women had similar diets and did similar work, and DNA evidence does now bear out the subsequent migration of the Kurgan people to the region.
While many argue agriculture gave rise to inequality and strongly gendered roles, Saini discusses the accumulating evidence from Mesopotamia that it was the birth of the state. States require workers to generate wealth for their rulers. This requires women to be controlled and to reproduce.
Saini reminds us that, even within a dominant ideology, there will be differences in the lives of individual women. People resist, they adapt, they find allies, they make use of whatever power 鈥� economic, social or temperamental 鈥� they have.
She also considers some counter-examples to patriarchy, such as matrilineal systems in Kerala (abolished in 1975), and Meghalaya in India, where inheritance is passed down the female line and women have more autonomy in their relationships and child-rearing. She contrasts the positions of authority held by women in Native American societies in the nineteenth century with their white counterparts fighting for suffrage.
Often when I鈥檓 reading this kind of book I dip in and out and stop to digest what I鈥檓 reading. But The Patriarchs combines scholarship and insight with a very readable and accessible style. It鈥檚 a fascinating read and I burnt through it in a couple of days.
*
I received a copy of The Patriarchs from the publisher via NetGalley.
At its heart is the question often posed by feminist theorists 鈥� is patriarchy universal, and if so why? Some have speculated that there may have been prehistoric societies that were built around goddess-worship or more equal gender roles. Even if that is the case, why should it be a precondition for change? Shouldn鈥檛 the demand for equality rest on its own merits?
One area of the book I found particularly interesting was on the possible beginnings of patriarchy in Europe and Asia. In the 1960s, British-Dutch archaeologist James Mellaart discovered a spectacular female figurine at 脟atalh枚y眉k in modern day Turkey, on an excavation of a 9000-year-old settlement. This led to a narrative of female goddess worship and a matriarchal culture, although there are other interpretations. (Saini notes how the prejudices of researchers colour their thinking. So a body found buried with valuable weapons would be assumed to be male. If evidence proves it is female, researches would assume she must be the spouse or relative of a great male warrior, rather than a warrior honoured in her own right.)
His contemporary, archaeologist and researcher Marija Gimbutas, drew on her work on Neolithic cultures in the Danube Valley. She argued that there may have been matrilineal societies in Old Europe and parts of Asia which were subsequently overrun by a patrilineal, warrior Kurgan culture from the steppes. While there was scepticism about some of the more speculative elements of her work during her lifetime, recent scientific analysis at 脟atalh枚y眉k suggests men and women had similar diets and did similar work, and DNA evidence does now bear out the subsequent migration of the Kurgan people to the region.
While many argue agriculture gave rise to inequality and strongly gendered roles, Saini discusses the accumulating evidence from Mesopotamia that it was the birth of the state. States require workers to generate wealth for their rulers. This requires women to be controlled and to reproduce.
Saini reminds us that, even within a dominant ideology, there will be differences in the lives of individual women. People resist, they adapt, they find allies, they make use of whatever power 鈥� economic, social or temperamental 鈥� they have.
She also considers some counter-examples to patriarchy, such as matrilineal systems in Kerala (abolished in 1975), and Meghalaya in India, where inheritance is passed down the female line and women have more autonomy in their relationships and child-rearing. She contrasts the positions of authority held by women in Native American societies in the nineteenth century with their white counterparts fighting for suffrage.
Often when I鈥檓 reading this kind of book I dip in and out and stop to digest what I鈥檓 reading. But The Patriarchs combines scholarship and insight with a very readable and accessible style. It鈥檚 a fascinating read and I burnt through it in a couple of days.
*
I received a copy of The Patriarchs from the publisher via NetGalley.
December 5, 2023
Ik ben nu bijna op de helft 鈥� en ik stop er voorlopig mee.
Ik erger me werkelijk dood aan de abominabele stijl, het is tot nu toe een aaneenschakeling van beweringen van anderen, die allemaal met naam en toenaam en universiteit of ander beroep worden genoemd.
Volgens professor Huppeldeflups van de Uppsala University zit het namelijk zo ... Onderzoeker Huppeldeflups herinnert zich 鈥� Archeoloog Huppeldeflups vertelde mij 鈥� De bekende schrijver Huppeldeflups schreef dat 鈥�
Schrijfster heeft nog niet 茅茅n keer geschreven wat ze er zelf van vindt, of ze 眉berhaupt iets vindt.
Iedereen jubelt over elkaar heen hoe gedurfd en radicaal en geweldig dit boek is. Terwijl Marilyn French hier al uitgebreid (en hartstochtelijk als zichzelf) over schreef in Beyond Power (1986).
Terwijl die enthousiaste mannen van The Dawn of Everything al uitgebreid schreven over het nieuwe licht dat recent archeologisch onderzoek werpt op egalitaire samenlevingsvormen.
DNF
Ik erger me werkelijk dood aan de abominabele stijl, het is tot nu toe een aaneenschakeling van beweringen van anderen, die allemaal met naam en toenaam en universiteit of ander beroep worden genoemd.
Volgens professor Huppeldeflups van de Uppsala University zit het namelijk zo ... Onderzoeker Huppeldeflups herinnert zich 鈥� Archeoloog Huppeldeflups vertelde mij 鈥� De bekende schrijver Huppeldeflups schreef dat 鈥�
Schrijfster heeft nog niet 茅茅n keer geschreven wat ze er zelf van vindt, of ze 眉berhaupt iets vindt.
Iedereen jubelt over elkaar heen hoe gedurfd en radicaal en geweldig dit boek is. Terwijl Marilyn French hier al uitgebreid (en hartstochtelijk als zichzelf) over schreef in Beyond Power (1986).
Terwijl die enthousiaste mannen van The Dawn of Everything al uitgebreid schreven over het nieuwe licht dat recent archeologisch onderzoek werpt op egalitaire samenlevingsvormen.
DNF
March 12, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This has been a hard review to write. While overall I found the book interesting and informative, at times i found it frustrating and a chore to get though. I didn't connect well with the writing style which was somewhat academic and I just didn't find it that readable for a general audience. However, the topic was fascinating and kept pulling me back in. However, when I finished the book I came away feeling some what dissatisfied and misled as in my opinion I don't think the question proposed was addressed or answered at all. However, I did learn a lot about many different Matriarchal societies past and present, and the many ways they differ from Patriarchal ones and for that I don't regret the time I spent reading this book.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This has been a hard review to write. While overall I found the book interesting and informative, at times i found it frustrating and a chore to get though. I didn't connect well with the writing style which was somewhat academic and I just didn't find it that readable for a general audience. However, the topic was fascinating and kept pulling me back in. However, when I finished the book I came away feeling some what dissatisfied and misled as in my opinion I don't think the question proposed was addressed or answered at all. However, I did learn a lot about many different Matriarchal societies past and present, and the many ways they differ from Patriarchal ones and for that I don't regret the time I spent reading this book.
February 5, 2023
A book interested in how the patriarchy came to exist, exploring recent discourse (and debunking a few myths along the way) but mostly looking way back in global history to examine matrilineal and matriarchal societies to understand why modern society has moved away from this structure. At times fascinating, at times a bit too textbook/academic for my own personal taste, but overall an informative and well-researched book.
Thank you Netgalley and 4th Estate for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and 4th Estate for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
September 8, 2023
Ma premi猫re lecture d'un essai d'Angela Saini et je ne suis pas du tout d茅莽u malgr茅 les hautes attentes - bien au contraire - je pense que c'est probablement un essais f茅ministes les plus importants parus en 2023.
L'essai tente de r茅pondre 脿 la question qui se pose depuis plus d'un si猫cle d茅j脿: d'o霉 vient le patriarcat, l'oppression des femmes a-t-elle toujours exist茅e (et son corolaire: existait-il un matriarcat originel ou une soci茅t茅 茅galitaire avant l'arriv茅e du patriarcat?). Et la r茅ponse est... c'est un peu plus complexe qu'on y pense d'y r茅pondre!! Enfin une personne qui n'h茅sites pas 脿 aller au-del脿 des questions de binarit茅, des "certitudes" qui refl猫tent plus les id茅es de la soci茅t茅 dans laquelle on vit que des r茅elles preuves empiriques. La preuve est que, oui, aujourd'hui, il existe moins de soci茅t茅s matriarcales que patriarcales, historiquement, (et jusqu'o霉 on peut aller), c'est un peu plus complexe, il y a des aller et retours (et d茅pendamment de la r茅gion du monde dans laquelle on vit), les preuves arch茅ologiques ne permettent pas toujours de conclure quoi que ce soit et il est fort possible que d茅pendamment des soci茅t茅s, d'autres facteurs aient 茅t茅 plus important que le genre (la classe, la caste, la famille, l'ethnie, etc.) malgr茅 des 茅galit茅s pr茅sum茅es.
L'essai tire autant des r茅flexions de l'anthropologie, de l'arch茅ologie, de la sociologie, de la politique locale et internationale, de l'histoire (et l'histoire des religions), des entrevues avec des expert路es, des r茅flexions sur la litt茅rature f茅ministe des derni猫res ann茅es, etc.
Honn锚tement, je pourrais parler tr猫s longuement de l'essai, des subtilit茅s, des apports int茅ressants et subtiles qu'il apporte, des r茅ponses qu'il apporte (au-del脿 du "on ne sait pas" sur lequel je plaisante un peu, il y a vraiment des r茅ponses plus concr猫tes), je note que cet essai se distingue d'une large production sur l'origine du patriarcat sur les points suivants:
- Un portrait vraiment international de l'histoire et de la situation et une bonne connaissance des diff茅rentes r茅alit茅s (entre-autres 脿 l'aide d'entrevues avec des expert路es du coin).
- Une r茅flexion qui va au-del脿 de la binarit茅 homme-femme et r茅fl茅chit plus largement aux questions de non-binarit茅, de construction du genre (et de sa possible non-existence dans certaines soci茅t茅s), des personnes trans, bispiritu茅e et hijras.
- Un essai qui se base sur des r茅alit茅s arch茅ologiques fond茅es et pas sp茅cul茅es et qui se m茅fie quand m锚me un peu des sources 茅crites historiques et des biais qu'elles pouvaient induire. Oui, on r茅fl茅chit 脿 ce que certains symboles et 茅crits peuvent signifier, mais vu qu'on manque de contexte, on souligne que certaines interpr茅tations restent sp茅culatives et non d茅finitives (et on montre plusieurs exemples de changement d'interpr茅tations aux courants des derni猫res d茅cennies et des d茅saccords entre sp茅cialistes).
Un essai f茅ministe qui couvre tr猫s large, pose des questions sur de tr猫s larges structures, qui remet 脿 jour une r茅flexion tr猫s 脿 la mode dans les ann茅es '70 et '80, mais dont les connaissances ont progress茅es de pas de g茅ants.
On m'entends parfois regretter, quand la nuit avance, que la nourriture est bonne, qu'on cause f茅minisme depuis plusieurs heures d茅j脿 et qu'on en vient aux petites d茅ceptions que j'ai l'habitude de dire que peu d'essais f茅ministes aujourd'hui, contrairement aux ann茅es '70 et '80, ont encore l'audace d'aborder de front de tr猫s larges questions en mobilisant un tr猫s large 茅ventails de connaissances, de domaine et de litt茅rature. The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, lui, fait revivre cette effervescence scientifique et f茅ministe de la plus belle fa莽on qui soit: 脿 travers la science, 脿 travers les t茅moignages et 脿 travers la litt茅rature qui la pr茅c猫de.
Merci Angela Saini!!!
L'essai tente de r茅pondre 脿 la question qui se pose depuis plus d'un si猫cle d茅j脿: d'o霉 vient le patriarcat, l'oppression des femmes a-t-elle toujours exist茅e (et son corolaire: existait-il un matriarcat originel ou une soci茅t茅 茅galitaire avant l'arriv茅e du patriarcat?). Et la r茅ponse est... c'est un peu plus complexe qu'on y pense d'y r茅pondre!! Enfin une personne qui n'h茅sites pas 脿 aller au-del脿 des questions de binarit茅, des "certitudes" qui refl猫tent plus les id茅es de la soci茅t茅 dans laquelle on vit que des r茅elles preuves empiriques. La preuve est que, oui, aujourd'hui, il existe moins de soci茅t茅s matriarcales que patriarcales, historiquement, (et jusqu'o霉 on peut aller), c'est un peu plus complexe, il y a des aller et retours (et d茅pendamment de la r茅gion du monde dans laquelle on vit), les preuves arch茅ologiques ne permettent pas toujours de conclure quoi que ce soit et il est fort possible que d茅pendamment des soci茅t茅s, d'autres facteurs aient 茅t茅 plus important que le genre (la classe, la caste, la famille, l'ethnie, etc.) malgr茅 des 茅galit茅s pr茅sum茅es.
L'essai tire autant des r茅flexions de l'anthropologie, de l'arch茅ologie, de la sociologie, de la politique locale et internationale, de l'histoire (et l'histoire des religions), des entrevues avec des expert路es, des r茅flexions sur la litt茅rature f茅ministe des derni猫res ann茅es, etc.
Honn锚tement, je pourrais parler tr猫s longuement de l'essai, des subtilit茅s, des apports int茅ressants et subtiles qu'il apporte, des r茅ponses qu'il apporte (au-del脿 du "on ne sait pas" sur lequel je plaisante un peu, il y a vraiment des r茅ponses plus concr猫tes), je note que cet essai se distingue d'une large production sur l'origine du patriarcat sur les points suivants:
- Un portrait vraiment international de l'histoire et de la situation et une bonne connaissance des diff茅rentes r茅alit茅s (entre-autres 脿 l'aide d'entrevues avec des expert路es du coin).
- Une r茅flexion qui va au-del脿 de la binarit茅 homme-femme et r茅fl茅chit plus largement aux questions de non-binarit茅, de construction du genre (et de sa possible non-existence dans certaines soci茅t茅s), des personnes trans, bispiritu茅e et hijras.
- Un essai qui se base sur des r茅alit茅s arch茅ologiques fond茅es et pas sp茅cul茅es et qui se m茅fie quand m锚me un peu des sources 茅crites historiques et des biais qu'elles pouvaient induire. Oui, on r茅fl茅chit 脿 ce que certains symboles et 茅crits peuvent signifier, mais vu qu'on manque de contexte, on souligne que certaines interpr茅tations restent sp茅culatives et non d茅finitives (et on montre plusieurs exemples de changement d'interpr茅tations aux courants des derni猫res d茅cennies et des d茅saccords entre sp茅cialistes).
Un essai f茅ministe qui couvre tr猫s large, pose des questions sur de tr猫s larges structures, qui remet 脿 jour une r茅flexion tr猫s 脿 la mode dans les ann茅es '70 et '80, mais dont les connaissances ont progress茅es de pas de g茅ants.
On m'entends parfois regretter, quand la nuit avance, que la nourriture est bonne, qu'on cause f茅minisme depuis plusieurs heures d茅j脿 et qu'on en vient aux petites d茅ceptions que j'ai l'habitude de dire que peu d'essais f茅ministes aujourd'hui, contrairement aux ann茅es '70 et '80, ont encore l'audace d'aborder de front de tr猫s larges questions en mobilisant un tr猫s large 茅ventails de connaissances, de domaine et de litt茅rature. The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, lui, fait revivre cette effervescence scientifique et f茅ministe de la plus belle fa莽on qui soit: 脿 travers la science, 脿 travers les t茅moignages et 脿 travers la litt茅rature qui la pr茅c猫de.
Merci Angela Saini!!!
January 17, 2025
Good overview and starter kit asking an important and often overlooked first question: why does patriarchy exist in the first place? Not sure I got the answer in this book, but definitely got parts of it.
This is well-written and shows anninteresting breadth of knowledge and examples. The breadth sometimes comes at the cost of depth (unsurprising with only about 250 pages) and I had difficulty to figure out where the author was going in the later chapters of the book. Ultimately she tied everything together in a solid and hopeful way though. Editing could have been a bit better though as there were more than a few instances if missing words in sentences (of the changing the sentence one too many times to see the mistakes anymore-kind)
This is well-written and shows anninteresting breadth of knowledge and examples. The breadth sometimes comes at the cost of depth (unsurprising with only about 250 pages) and I had difficulty to figure out where the author was going in the later chapters of the book. Ultimately she tied everything together in a solid and hopeful way though. Editing could have been a bit better though as there were more than a few instances if missing words in sentences (of the changing the sentence one too many times to see the mistakes anymore-kind)
February 28, 2024
Although containing interesting parts, it lacks cohesion and in-depth discussion.
April 29, 2025
ik voel me echt anti-feministisch door dit te zeggen, maar dit boek was echt een hel om doorheen te komen. het was gewoon echt oersaai, ik snapte het vaak ook gewoon niet. geen aanrader 馃榾
March 7, 2024
A question I have asked myself many times, and have spent a fair amount of time seeking a reliable source to learn from. This book offers that. I am so pleased it exists!
This book taught me so much, and incited a lot of questions and thoughts.
I did not expect to learn so much about archaeology, nor spend so much time thinking about the notion of "fact" versus personal, educated guesses, often shrouded in cultural biases, of those people we deem experts in a certain field (such as archaeology, history, sociology). The key is to question not only what is being said, but why that perspective might be given prominence, at that point in time.
I learned about human history - populations, ancestry, cultures, politics, social hierarchies and revolutions. Most unexpected, I learned about the politics of nationhood. How the need to grow populations and maintain loyalty can so heavily weigh on the rules and norms of the day - and how easily this can change based on the needs of the nation.
Gender stereotypes and traditions and how these play out in realms of power is a complex thing, and this book does a great job of teething out the issues and various ways, while not attempting to tie it all up in a neat little bow.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
The best information is thought provoking and inspiring, and as I close this book, I have a list of 15 others (referenced in this book) to seek out.
This book taught me so much, and incited a lot of questions and thoughts.
I did not expect to learn so much about archaeology, nor spend so much time thinking about the notion of "fact" versus personal, educated guesses, often shrouded in cultural biases, of those people we deem experts in a certain field (such as archaeology, history, sociology). The key is to question not only what is being said, but why that perspective might be given prominence, at that point in time.
I learned about human history - populations, ancestry, cultures, politics, social hierarchies and revolutions. Most unexpected, I learned about the politics of nationhood. How the need to grow populations and maintain loyalty can so heavily weigh on the rules and norms of the day - and how easily this can change based on the needs of the nation.
Gender stereotypes and traditions and how these play out in realms of power is a complex thing, and this book does a great job of teething out the issues and various ways, while not attempting to tie it all up in a neat little bow.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
The best information is thought provoking and inspiring, and as I close this book, I have a list of 15 others (referenced in this book) to seek out.
June 11, 2024
Sociological and anthropological deep dive into the origins of the patriarchy and stereotypes of women. Very informative and some interesting papers cited.
鈥淧atriarchy as a single phenomenon doesn鈥檛 really exist, then. There are instead, more accurately, many patriarchies formed by threads subtly woven through different cultures in their own way, working with local structures and existing systems of inequality. States institutionalized human categorization and gendered laws; slavery influenced patrilocal marriage; empires exported gendered oppression to nearly every corner of the globe; capitalism exacerbated gender disparities; and religions and traditions are still being manipulated to give psychological force to the notion of male domination. . . . If we are ever going to build a truly fair world, everything will need to be unpicked.鈥�
鈥淧atriarchy as a single phenomenon doesn鈥檛 really exist, then. There are instead, more accurately, many patriarchies formed by threads subtly woven through different cultures in their own way, working with local structures and existing systems of inequality. States institutionalized human categorization and gendered laws; slavery influenced patrilocal marriage; empires exported gendered oppression to nearly every corner of the globe; capitalism exacerbated gender disparities; and religions and traditions are still being manipulated to give psychological force to the notion of male domination. . . . If we are ever going to build a truly fair world, everything will need to be unpicked.鈥�
June 12, 2023
In a recent interview the author reflected that there are very few books on the topic of Patriarchy. This is a well researched book that looks at cultures from different parts of the world up to the present days struggles in Iran.
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