Woman the Hunter

by Mary Zeiss Stange

Over two million American women hunt. By taking up weapons for the explicit purpose of killing, they are shattering one of Western culture's oldest and most firmly entrenched taboos. The image of a woman 'armed and dangerous' is profoundly threatening to our collective psyche--and it is rejected by macho males and radical feminists alike.

Woman the Hunter juxtaposes unsettlingly beautiful accounts of the author's own experiences hunting deer, antelope, and elk with an argument that builds on the work of thinkers from Aldo Leopold to Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Exploring how women and men relate to nature and violence, Mary Zeiss Stange demonstrates how false assumptions about women and about hunting permeate contemporary thought. Her book is a profound critique of our society's evasion of issues that make us uncomfortable, and it culminates in a surprising that only by appreciating the value of hunting can we come to understand what it means to be human.

Controversial and original, defying easy stereotypes,Woman the Hunter is sure to provoke strong reactions in almost every reader.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Mary Zeiss Stange is Professor Emerita of Women's Studies and Religion at Skidmore College. She is internationally recognized as the authority on women and hunting, and specializes in writing and speaking about women, guns, hunting, and ecofeminism.

Reviews

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stange creates a well-balanced and engaging break down of concepts of “violence” as well as “nature” as they relate to qualities of humanness. She effortlessly rips apart sexist essentialist ideas about women’s relationship to violence and nature, primarily centered on a critique of women as hunters through history. This book manages to critique pervasive patriarchal and simplistic ideas in anthropology, indigenous studies, food ethics, and ecofeminism, while interspersing throughout the text brief, beautiful, intimate portraits of her own personal hunting experience. Super into it.

[Mrs. Chow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking read. I come from a family of hunters (on my mother's side) and often wished that I could have spent more of my time outdoors in that way when I was younger. I never would have considered to view hunting through a feminist lens, so this study was a revelation to me. If all hunters were as thoughtful and reflective as Mary Zeiss Stange, I suspect that fewer intellectuals would view hunting as such a barbarous act. Unfortunately, the stereotype of the redneck with the gun rack in the back of his pickup truck persists, exacerbated by the battle over gun control. Although I am not likely to take up hunting as a pastime, this book has certainly made me think much more about the stereotype of Man the Hunter and Woman the Gatherer and the acceptance of female aggression in modern society.

[sardonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, pleasantly surprised with this book. Very solid and thorough critique of the gender essentialism found in radical/ecofeminist thought. The problem is the book reads like one very long critique, the author doesn't really present or propose anything new, at least not anything (in my opinion) significant, but the attempt to do so is made only in the last 10 or so pages of the book. Otherwise a very enjoyable read.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decades old work that is insightful, thought provoking, and still desperately needed. The the author exposes the continuing problems with much of popular neopagan goddess myth, radical and eco feminist ideology, and their attempted imposition of gender based roles. Ms Stange demonstrates how in some of their arguments they essentially restate the discredited old man the hunter/woman the gatherer myth used by earlier anthropologists. The fact is that women hunt and, as evidenced by recent research, hunted even in the prehistoric past, e.g., see https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2023/octo... and https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/.... This is a important read not only for feminists but also for those who seek a deeper foundation of woman as hunter. It is a great read!

[Amberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome anthropological accounts of several cultures throughout history where women played a more aggressive role - interspersed with the author's real-life experiences as a hunter, as well as a discussion on the biases that academia has been known to spin.
Good stuff; sometimes a little stuffy.