What do you think?
Rate this book
H πατριαρχία: Η ιστορία της ανδρικής κυριαρχίας και η εξάπλωση της
Η πολύβραβευμένη δημοσιογράφος της επιστήμης Άντζελα Σαΐνι ακροβατεί ανάμεσα σε πέντε ηπείρους (ενδεικτικά, από Πολωνία, Νιγηρία, Μαρόκο, Ινδία μέχρι Ελλάδα, Κίνα, Ιράν και Μεξικό) και χιλιάδες χρόνια ανθρώπινης ιστορίας, αναρωτώμενη πότε πρωτοεμφανίστηκε η πατριαρχία και πώς μπορεί να ηττηθεί, για να βρει το κλειδί στα λόγια μιας γιαγιάς: «Η απελευθέρωση ξεκινάει με εικόνες που χορεύουν μέσα στο κεφαλάκι σου.»
Εν ολίγοις, αυτή είναι η ιστορία ατόμων και ομάδων που παλεύουν για να αποκτήσουν τον έλεγχο του πολυτιμότερου αγαθού του κόσμου: άλλους ανθρώπους. Το ότι ο πατριαρχικός τρόπος οργάνωσης της κοινωνίας μοιάζει ανατριχιαστικά παρόμοιος σε όλο τον κόσμο αυτή τη στιγμή, δεν οφείλεται στο γεγονός ότι επιβλήθηκε με κάποιο μαγικό (ή βιολογικό) τρόπο ταυτόχρονα, ούτε επειδή οι γυναίκες υποχώρησαν και αποδέχθηκαν την υποταγή παντού. Οφείλεται στην εφευρετική φύση της εξουσίας. Η έμφυλη καταπίεση προετοιμάστηκε και τελειοποιήθηκε όχι μόνο στο εσωτερικό των κοινωνιών: επί αιώνες, εξάχθηκε σκόπιμα δια του προσηλυτισμού και της αποικιοκρατίας.
Το χειρότερο σε αυτή την δολοπλοκία είναι το πώς έχει διαμορφώσει τις πεποιθήσεις μας σχετικά με την ανθρώπινη φύση. Εάν η εικόνα της θεάς Κάλι μας λέει κάτι για το παρελθόν μας, αυτό είναι ότι η θεώρησή μας για τον κόσμο δεν ήταν ποτέ στατική. Στο πέρασμα του χρόνου, οι εξουσιάζοντες προσπάθησαν πολύ να αποδώσουν μια ψευδαίσθηση ευστάθειας στους έμφυλους κανόνες και τις ιεραρχίες που είχαν εφεύρει. Σήμερα, οι μύθοι αυτοί είναι πια πεποιθήσεις μας.
Εν ολίγοις, αυτή είναι η ιστορία ατόμων και ομάδων που παλεύουν για να αποκτήσουν τον έλεγχο του πολυτιμότερου αγαθού του κόσμου: άλλους ανθρώπους. Το ότι ο πατριαρχικός τρόπος οργάνωσης της κοινωνίας μοιάζει ανατριχιαστικά παρόμοιος σε όλο τον κόσμο αυτή τη στιγμή, δεν οφείλεται στο γεγονός ότι επιβλήθηκε με κάποιο μαγικό (ή βιολογικό) τρόπο ταυτόχρονα, ούτε επειδή οι γυναίκες υποχώρησαν και αποδέχθηκαν την υποταγή παντού. Οφείλεται στην εφευρετική φύση της εξουσίας. Η έμφυλη καταπίεση προετοιμάστηκε και τελειοποιήθηκε όχι μόνο στο εσωτερικό των κοινωνιών: επί αιώνες, εξάχθηκε σκόπιμα δια του προσηλυτισμού και της αποικιοκρατίας.
Το χειρότερο σε αυτή την δολοπλοκία είναι το πώς έχει διαμορφώσει τις πεποιθήσεις μας σχετικά με την ανθρώπινη φύση. Εάν η εικόνα της θεάς Κάλι μας λέει κάτι για το παρελθόν μας, αυτό είναι ότι η θεώρησή μας για τον κόσμο δεν ήταν ποτέ στατική. Στο πέρασμα του χρόνου, οι εξουσιάζοντες προσπάθησαν πολύ να αποδώσουν μια ψευδαίσθηση ευστάθειας στους έμφυλους κανόνες και τις ιεραρχίες που είχαν εφεύρει. Σήμερα, οι μύθοι αυτοί είναι πια πεποιθήσεις μας.
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2023
678 people are currently reading
15340 people want to read
About the author
Angela Saini
6 books689 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.
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.
Angela has a Masters in Engineering from the University of Oxford. She was made an honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford in 2023.
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.
Angela has a Masters in Engineering from the University of Oxford. She was made an honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford in 2023.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 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 Margaret Atwood, 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 Emilia Roig 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 Margaret Atwood, 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 Emilia Roig 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 männliche Vorherrschaft wirklich "natürlich"? Angela Saini dekonstruiert in ihrem Sachbuch "Die Patriarchen: Auf der Suche nach dem Ursprung männlicher Herrschaft", übersetzt von Simoné Goldschmidt-Lechner, anhand umfangreicher Recherchen stichhaltig die Annahme, dass Ungleichheit durch genetische Faktoren bedingt sei. Für ihr Buch reist sie an verschiedene geschichtsträchtige Orte der ganzen Welt, taucht ein in die historischen Ursprünge 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 männliche 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 können, verändert das unsere Kämpfe. Besonders gut hat mir auch gefallen, dass die Autorin die Verzahnung zwischen Patriarchat, Kolonialismus, Kapitalismus und anderer unterdrückender 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 abhängt, fand ich sehr wichtig und erweitert den Blickwinkel. Manchmal waren mir die Kapitel etwas zu unstrukturiert, was es stellenweise schwer macht, den Gedankengängen von Angela Saini zu folgen. Nichts desto trotz spreche ich gerne eine Leseempfehlung für "Die Patriarchen" aus - ich konnte sehr viel aus der Lektüre 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 männliche 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 können, verändert das unsere Kämpfe. Besonders gut hat mir auch gefallen, dass die Autorin die Verzahnung zwischen Patriarchat, Kolonialismus, Kapitalismus und anderer unterdrückender 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 abhängt, fand ich sehr wichtig und erweitert den Blickwinkel. Manchmal waren mir die Kapitel etwas zu unstrukturiert, was es stellenweise schwer macht, den Gedankengängen von Angela Saini zu folgen. Nichts desto trotz spreche ich gerne eine Leseempfehlung für "Die Patriarchen" aus - ich konnte sehr viel aus der Lektüre lernen und mitnehmen!
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.
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.
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… so, there’s no answer? Or, we can’t find out? Cuz this woman’s research is both broad and deep, so if she can’t find it who the hell can?!
There are some fascinating bits. I’ve always assumed that patriarchy came from men’s 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… so, there’s no answer? Or, we can’t find out? Cuz this woman’s research is both broad and deep, so if she can’t find it who the hell can?!
There are some fascinating bits. I’ve always assumed that patriarchy came from men’s 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!
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’s The Patriarchs would, essentially, give me an updated, and more multi-disciplinary version of Gerda Lerner’s 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… points of view.
Unfortunately, this book’s title turned out to be pure bait, and it is thus the most disappointing non-fiction I have read this year – so far. Indeed, whilst I’ll concede the book presents some older research (with massive caveats I’ll 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’s (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’re 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’s few remaining matrifocal societies doesn’t compensate for this book’s (yet again) ‘spread-too-thin’ 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’t 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’s, and pretends to look at the evidence from different fields of research, you can’t 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’ve 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’s book (which I just read, so I’m not exaggerating here), and research, exuded so much bad faith it actively angered me*. I can’t 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’ and researchers’ work?
Finally, The Patriarchs does this infuriating, ‘wokist’ thing of downplaying the very existence of patriarchy, and sex-based oppression, by not only being confusingly silent on the importance of humanity’s 'Ur-difference', that of sex, and the unequal division of reproductive labour that is inherent to our condition as gestating mammals… but also by watering down the actual meaning of patriarchy. I wish I’d 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: ‘eh, patriarchy is a system of oppression like any other, where some people have power over others’. 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’re gonna, yet again, yeet sex class analysis out’ 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’m… just so sick of this shit.
So yeah, this was a paltry 3.5-4/10 read for me. But I’ll be generous and allow that if you’ve never, ever read anything about this topic, The Patriarchs isn’t the worst book you could pick up as an introduction to it. But please, for the love of Goddess, don’t stop your exploration there, because overall, this really ain’t it!
*Full context: I honestly don’t know if Ms Saini read The Creation of Patriarchy in full, because she contended, in The Patriarchs, that Gerder Lerner stated women’s subjugation was partly due to their weaker ‘biological natures’. But that is absolute horseshit, plain and simple. What Ms Lerner did, in her treatise, was look at several different factors which could’ve constituted necessary conditions for a gradual shift from primitive egalitarianism (or matrifocality) to male-dominated social groups, which then would’ve 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’s sake, and shouldn’t 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 ‘which axis of oppression came first’, since it’s mostly a matter of speculation and opinion at this point, the hilarious thing is that Ms Saini followed her blanket disagreement – delivered without any sort of supporting argumentation, mind you – with a near copy-paste of Lerner’s own development on the subject in The Creation of Patriarchy. I swear you cannot make this shit up – 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’s The Patriarchs would, essentially, give me an updated, and more multi-disciplinary version of Gerda Lerner’s 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… points of view.
Unfortunately, this book’s title turned out to be pure bait, and it is thus the most disappointing non-fiction I have read this year – so far. Indeed, whilst I’ll concede the book presents some older research (with massive caveats I’ll 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’s (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’s few remaining matrifocal societies doesn’t compensate for this book’s (yet again) ‘spread-too-thin’ 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’t 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’s, and pretends to look at the evidence from different fields of research, you can’t 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’ve 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’s book (which I just read, so I’m not exaggerating here), and research, exuded so much bad faith it actively angered me*. I can’t 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’ and researchers’ work?
Finally, The Patriarchs does this infuriating, ‘wokist’ thing of downplaying the very existence of patriarchy, and sex-based oppression, by not only being confusingly silent on the importance of humanity’s 'Ur-difference', that of sex, and the unequal division of reproductive labour that is inherent to our condition as gestating mammals… but also by watering down the actual meaning of patriarchy. I wish I’d 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: ‘eh, patriarchy is a system of oppression like any other, where some people have power over others’. 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’re gonna, yet again, yeet sex class analysis out’ 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’m… just so sick of this shit.
So yeah, this was a paltry 3.5-4/10 read for me. But I’ll be generous and allow that if you’ve never, ever read anything about this topic, The Patriarchs isn’t the worst book you could pick up as an introduction to it. But please, for the love of Goddess, don’t stop your exploration there, because overall, this really ain’t it!
*Full context: I honestly don’t know if Ms Saini read The Creation of Patriarchy in full, because she contended, in The Patriarchs, that Gerder Lerner stated women’s subjugation was partly due to their weaker ‘biological natures’. But that is absolute horseshit, plain and simple. What Ms Lerner did, in her treatise, was look at several different factors which could’ve constituted necessary conditions for a gradual shift from primitive egalitarianism (or matrifocality) to male-dominated social groups, which then would’ve 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’s sake, and shouldn’t 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 ‘which axis of oppression came first’, since it’s mostly a matter of speculation and opinion at this point, the hilarious thing is that Ms Saini followed her blanket disagreement – delivered without any sort of supporting argumentation, mind you – with a near copy-paste of Lerner’s own development on the subject in The Creation of Patriarchy. I swear you cannot make this shit up – wild'.
Read
July 19, 20254.9🌟
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!
February 12, 2025
3.5⭐
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
Разхвърляна, неструктурирана, без ясна визия какво и на кого иска да каже. DNF.
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’m not an expert in, or well educated in, or particularly well read this field. As such, my opinions and experiences of this text are… well… 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.
And…
It’s good.
It’s SOLID.
I ultimately liked it a lot.
However.
I almost didn’t 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’m glad I did.
So…
Why was I initially lukewarm on it?
I read it right after Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender.
And…
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’s 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’s 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’s 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 ⭐️ (revisit previously discussed PBT/SDS above for explanation of point deduction).
I’m not an expert in, or well educated in, or particularly well read this field. As such, my opinions and experiences of this text are… well… 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.
And…
It’s good.
It’s SOLID.
I ultimately liked it a lot.
However.
I almost didn’t 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’m glad I did.
So…
Why was I initially lukewarm on it?
I read it right after Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender.
And…
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’s 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’s 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’s 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 ⭐️ (revisit previously discussed PBT/SDS above for explanation of point deduction).
February 28, 2023
Review of: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, by Angela Saini
by Stan Prager (2-28-23)
“Down With the Patriarchy” is a both a powerful rallying cry and a fashionable emblem broadcast in memes, coffee mugs, tee shirts—and 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 “woke” whine of victimization that downplays the equality today’s 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—and does it remain—an 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—at least on the face of it—seems 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—then and now—ranging as far back as the nearly ten-thousand-year-old proto-city Çatalhöyük 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’s 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’m a big fan of Saini’s 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 Çatalhöyük, 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 Çatalhöyük that dates back to 6000 BCE, Mellaart claimed that a “Mother Goddess” 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 Çatalhöyük 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—something Gimbutas got right—my thoughts instantly went to David Anthony’s 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 “Notes,” 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’s 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’t have to be this way. Perhaps matriarchy did not characterize Çatalhöyük—and we really can’t be certain—but 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—and we can—choose equality rather than a condition where one group is dominated by another based upon race, caste, or gender.
With all of the author’s 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—and does it remain the case—that 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’s 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: “If our mothers should refuse to continue cutting us, we will cut ourselves.” [p191]
In the end, Saini’s 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’t 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’s 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’s 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 – Regarp Book Blog https://regarp.com/2023/02/28/review-...
by Stan Prager (2-28-23)
“Down With the Patriarchy” is a both a powerful rallying cry and a fashionable emblem broadcast in memes, coffee mugs, tee shirts—and 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 “woke” whine of victimization that downplays the equality today’s 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—and does it remain—an 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—at least on the face of it—seems 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—then and now—ranging as far back as the nearly ten-thousand-year-old proto-city Çatalhöyük 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’s 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’m a big fan of Saini’s 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 Çatalhöyük, 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 Çatalhöyük that dates back to 6000 BCE, Mellaart claimed that a “Mother Goddess” 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 Çatalhöyük 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—something Gimbutas got right—my thoughts instantly went to David Anthony’s 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 “Notes,” 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’s 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’t have to be this way. Perhaps matriarchy did not characterize Çatalhöyük—and we really can’t be certain—but 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—and we can—choose equality rather than a condition where one group is dominated by another based upon race, caste, or gender.
With all of the author’s 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—and does it remain the case—that 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’s 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: “If our mothers should refuse to continue cutting us, we will cut ourselves.” [p191]
In the end, Saini’s 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’t 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’s 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’s 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 – Regarp Book Blog https://regarp.com/2023/02/28/review-...
March 8, 2025
Я поставлю 5 зірок за главу про Іран: здобутки прав людини і жінок зокрема можуть бути помножені на нуль всього за кілька років.
Загалом це добротний наукпоп, з купою інформації про різні часи і географії від величезної кількості дослідників.
Глава про СРСР - це фейспалм, але, наскільки я розумію, то наївні уявлення про диктатури - це поширене явище серед тих, хто в них ніколи не жив.
Загалом це добротний наукпоп, з купою інформації про різні часи і географії від величезної кількості дослідників.
Глава про СРСР - це фейспалм, але, наскільки я розумію, то наївні уявлення про диктатури - це поширене явище серед тих, хто в них ніколи не жив.
March 28, 2025
8/10
Традиція така, якою ми вирішимо її зробити.
Хороша, ґрунтовна книжка, в якій ви дізнаєтесь більше про:
✨традиції у матрилінійних родинах та «феміністичні утопії»
*стікер песика, який хтиво усміхається*
✨суспільства, в яких гендер не був організаційним принципом, а для статусу особи більше важили вік та старшинство
(цікавинка для тих, хто не розуміє явище гендерно нейтральних займенників: з деяких історичних свідчень буває важко зрозуміти, хто з правителів був чоловіками, а хто жінками - у зв’язку з відсутністю особистих займенників для чоловіків та жінок, зааадоооовго до XXI століття);
✨андрогінність, трансгендерність та інтерсекс в розрізі історії;
✨те, коли гендер стає помітним. Чи існує в історії мить, «поворотний момент», коли для жінок все змінилося?
✨що такого в тому патріархаті, що жінки не лише відчувають покору йому, але й іноді захищають його.
А головне - ця книжка детально розбирає патріархат як явище та пояснює природу його походження.
✨ Там, де філософи й науковці апелювали до авторитету біології, зображаючи жінок нижчими, релігійні чоловіки апелювали до божественного авторитету.
Мінуси, які я відзначила для себе:
✨Багато повторів (що якоюсь мірою пояснюється наступним пунктом).
✨Відсутність чіткої структури.
Книжка складається з восьми розділів, але інформація подається досить хаотично - немає чіткої хронологічної послідовності чи плавного переходу від одних спільнот чи місцевостей до інших.
Книга більше організована за таким принципом: авторка висуває якесь твердження, а потім на підкріплення цього твердження наводить різні приклади. І іноді одні і ті ж речі повторюються у різних розділах. Часом цю інформацію було досить складно скласти воєдино, і це трохи відволікало.
✨Контроверсійний розділ про гендерну рівність в радянському союзі (тут без особливих коментарів, просто багато простору для дискусії).
Тим не менш, книжка мені сподобалась - я списала і змалювала її вздовж і впоперек.
Тому, якщо ви шукаєте соціологічно-політологічно-історичну книжку про розподіл влади між жінками та чоловіками у різних місцевостях у різні історичні періоди, то це ваша зупинка.
Традиція така, якою ми вирішимо її зробити.
Хороша, ґрунтовна книжка, в якій ви дізнаєтесь більше про:
✨традиції у матрилінійних родинах та «феміністичні утопії»
*стікер песика, який хтиво усміхається*
✨суспільства, в яких гендер не був організаційним принципом, а для статусу особи більше важили вік та старшинство
(цікавинка для тих, хто не розуміє явище гендерно нейтральних займенників: з деяких історичних свідчень буває важко зрозуміти, хто з правителів був чоловіками, а хто жінками - у зв’язку з відсутністю особистих займенників для чоловіків та жінок, зааадоооовго до XXI століття);
✨андрогінність, трансгендерність та інтерсекс в розрізі історії;
✨те, коли гендер стає помітним. Чи існує в історії мить, «поворотний момент», коли для жінок все змінилося?
✨що такого в тому патріархаті, що жінки не лише відчувають покору йому, але й іноді захищають його.
А головне - ця книжка детально розбирає патріархат як явище та пояснює природу його походження.
✨ Там, де філософи й науковці апелювали до авторитету біології, зображаючи жінок нижчими, релігійні чоловіки апелювали до божественного авторитету.
Мінуси, які я відзначила для себе:
✨Багато повторів (що якоюсь мірою пояснюється наступним пунктом).
✨Відсутність чіткої структури.
Книжка складається з восьми розділів, але інформація подається досить хаотично - немає чіткої хронологічної послідовності чи плавного переходу від одних спільнот чи місцевостей до інших.
Книга більше організована за таким принципом: авторка висуває якесь твердження, а потім на підкріплення цього твердження наводить різні приклади. І іноді одні і ті ж речі повторюються у різних розділах. Часом цю інформацію було досить складно скласти воєдино, і це трохи відволікало.
✨Контроверсійний розділ про гендерну рівність в радянському союзі (тут без особливих коментарів, просто багато простору для дискусії).
Тим не менш, книжка мені сподобалась - я списала і змалювала її вздовж і впоперек.
Тому, якщо ви шукаєте соціологічно-політологічно-історичну книжку про розподіл влади між жінками та чоловіками у різних місцевостях у різні історичні періоди, то це ваша зупинка.
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 ‘answer’, which I wasn’t expecting.
March 23, 2023
I’ve 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 – 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’t 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 Çatalhöyük 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 Çatalhöyük 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 – economic, social or temperamental – 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’m reading this kind of book I dip in and out and stop to digest what I’m reading. But The Patriarchs combines scholarship and insight with a very readable and accessible style. It’s 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 – 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’t 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 Çatalhöyük 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 Çatalhöyük 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 – economic, social or temperamental – 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’m reading this kind of book I dip in and out and stop to digest what I’m reading. But The Patriarchs combines scholarship and insight with a very readable and accessible style. It’s 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.
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 première lecture d'un essai d'Angela Saini et je ne suis pas du tout déçu malgré les hautes attentes - bien au contraire - je pense que c'est probablement un essais féministes les plus importants parus en 2023.
L'essai tente de répondre à la question qui se pose depuis plus d'un siècle déjà: d'où vient le patriarcat, l'oppression des femmes a-t-elle toujours existée (et son corolaire: existait-il un matriarcat originel ou une société égalitaire avant l'arrivée du patriarcat?). Et la réponse est... c'est un peu plus complexe qu'on y pense d'y répondre!! Enfin une personne qui n'hésites pas à aller au-delà des questions de binarité, des "certitudes" qui reflètent plus les idées de la société dans laquelle on vit que des réelles preuves empiriques. La preuve est que, oui, aujourd'hui, il existe moins de sociétés matriarcales que patriarcales, historiquement, (et jusqu'où on peut aller), c'est un peu plus complexe, il y a des aller et retours (et dépendamment de la région du monde dans laquelle on vit), les preuves archéologiques ne permettent pas toujours de conclure quoi que ce soit et il est fort possible que dépendamment des sociétés, d'autres facteurs aient été plus important que le genre (la classe, la caste, la famille, l'ethnie, etc.) malgré des égalités présumées.
L'essai tire autant des réflexions de l'anthropologie, de l'archéologie, de la sociologie, de la politique locale et internationale, de l'histoire (et l'histoire des religions), des entrevues avec des expert·es, des réflexions sur la littérature féministe des dernières années, etc.
Honnêtement, je pourrais parler très longuement de l'essai, des subtilités, des apports intéressants et subtiles qu'il apporte, des réponses qu'il apporte (au-delà du "on ne sait pas" sur lequel je plaisante un peu, il y a vraiment des réponses plus concrètes), 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 différentes réalités (entre-autres à l'aide d'entrevues avec des expert·es du coin).
- Une réflexion qui va au-delà de la binarité homme-femme et réfléchit plus largement aux questions de non-binarité, de construction du genre (et de sa possible non-existence dans certaines sociétés), des personnes trans, bispirituée et hijras.
- Un essai qui se base sur des réalités archéologiques fondées et pas spéculées et qui se méfie quand même un peu des sources écrites historiques et des biais qu'elles pouvaient induire. Oui, on réfléchit à ce que certains symboles et écrits peuvent signifier, mais vu qu'on manque de contexte, on souligne que certaines interprétations restent spéculatives et non définitives (et on montre plusieurs exemples de changement d'interprétations aux courants des dernières décennies et des désaccords entre spécialistes).
Un essai féministe qui couvre très large, pose des questions sur de très larges structures, qui remet à jour une réflexion très à la mode dans les années '70 et '80, mais dont les connaissances ont progressées de pas de géants.
On m'entends parfois regretter, quand la nuit avance, que la nourriture est bonne, qu'on cause féminisme depuis plusieurs heures déjà et qu'on en vient aux petites déceptions que j'ai l'habitude de dire que peu d'essais féministes aujourd'hui, contrairement aux années '70 et '80, ont encore l'audace d'aborder de front de très larges questions en mobilisant un très large éventails de connaissances, de domaine et de littérature. The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, lui, fait revivre cette effervescence scientifique et féministe de la plus belle façon qui soit: à travers la science, à travers les témoignages et à travers la littérature qui la précède.
Merci Angela Saini!!!
L'essai tente de répondre à la question qui se pose depuis plus d'un siècle déjà: d'où vient le patriarcat, l'oppression des femmes a-t-elle toujours existée (et son corolaire: existait-il un matriarcat originel ou une société égalitaire avant l'arrivée du patriarcat?). Et la réponse est... c'est un peu plus complexe qu'on y pense d'y répondre!! Enfin une personne qui n'hésites pas à aller au-delà des questions de binarité, des "certitudes" qui reflètent plus les idées de la société dans laquelle on vit que des réelles preuves empiriques. La preuve est que, oui, aujourd'hui, il existe moins de sociétés matriarcales que patriarcales, historiquement, (et jusqu'où on peut aller), c'est un peu plus complexe, il y a des aller et retours (et dépendamment de la région du monde dans laquelle on vit), les preuves archéologiques ne permettent pas toujours de conclure quoi que ce soit et il est fort possible que dépendamment des sociétés, d'autres facteurs aient été plus important que le genre (la classe, la caste, la famille, l'ethnie, etc.) malgré des égalités présumées.
L'essai tire autant des réflexions de l'anthropologie, de l'archéologie, de la sociologie, de la politique locale et internationale, de l'histoire (et l'histoire des religions), des entrevues avec des expert·es, des réflexions sur la littérature féministe des dernières années, etc.
Honnêtement, je pourrais parler très longuement de l'essai, des subtilités, des apports intéressants et subtiles qu'il apporte, des réponses qu'il apporte (au-delà du "on ne sait pas" sur lequel je plaisante un peu, il y a vraiment des réponses plus concrètes), 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 différentes réalités (entre-autres à l'aide d'entrevues avec des expert·es du coin).
- Une réflexion qui va au-delà de la binarité homme-femme et réfléchit plus largement aux questions de non-binarité, de construction du genre (et de sa possible non-existence dans certaines sociétés), des personnes trans, bispirituée et hijras.
- Un essai qui se base sur des réalités archéologiques fondées et pas spéculées et qui se méfie quand même un peu des sources écrites historiques et des biais qu'elles pouvaient induire. Oui, on réfléchit à ce que certains symboles et écrits peuvent signifier, mais vu qu'on manque de contexte, on souligne que certaines interprétations restent spéculatives et non définitives (et on montre plusieurs exemples de changement d'interprétations aux courants des dernières décennies et des désaccords entre spécialistes).
Un essai féministe qui couvre très large, pose des questions sur de très larges structures, qui remet à jour une réflexion très à la mode dans les années '70 et '80, mais dont les connaissances ont progressées de pas de géants.
On m'entends parfois regretter, quand la nuit avance, que la nourriture est bonne, qu'on cause féminisme depuis plusieurs heures déjà et qu'on en vient aux petites déceptions que j'ai l'habitude de dire que peu d'essais féministes aujourd'hui, contrairement aux années '70 et '80, ont encore l'audace d'aborder de front de très larges questions en mobilisant un très large éventails de connaissances, de domaine et de littérature. The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality, lui, fait revivre cette effervescence scientifique et féministe de la plus belle façon qui soit: à travers la science, à travers les témoignages et à travers la littérature qui la précède.
Merci Angela Saini!!!
June 28, 2025
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️☆ ☆
«Патріархи. Витоки нерівності» — книга, яка порушує важливу тему, але, на жаль, реалізація залишає бажати кращого (НА МОЮ ДУЖЕ СУБʼЄКТИВНУ ДУМКУ)
Попри актуальність і глибину теми, читати було складно через відсутність чіткої структури. Тексти перетікали з однієї теми в іншу без логічного зв’язку, що ускладнювало сприйняття. Складається враження, що авторка більше виступає як упорядниця цитат і думок інших дослідників, ніж як авторка з власною позицією.
Бракувало чітких висновків, авторського голосу, а повторення одних і тих самих тез лише посилювали відчуття інформаційного шуму. У підсумку — багато тексту, але мало нового чи ґрунтовного.
Основна ідея — що патріархат є соціальним конструктом, а не природним явищем — важлива, але її можна було подати значно лаконічніше й переконливіше.
Трохи структури, з усього прочитаного на 350 сторінках:
📌 Патріархат не є «природним» чи універсальним:
• Ранні людські спільноти не були однозначно патріархальними.
• Археологічні та етнографічні дані свідчать, що багато суспільств мали рівноправні чи матрилінійні моделі, або більш гнучкі ролі для чоловіків і жінок.
• Домінування чоловіків сформувалося поступово, через зміни в економіці, власності, політиці.
📌 Головний механізм патріархату — контроль над тілом і потомством жінки
• Патріархат ґрунтується на контролі над жіночою сексуальністю, шлюбом, дітонародженням.
• Родина й шлюб стали інструментами, через які закріплювалася влада чоловіка.
• Жінки часто розглядалися як ��посудини для потомства», носії честі роду.
📌 Релігія та держава як союзники патріархату
• Релігійні системи (юдаїзм, християнство, іслам, індуїзм тощо) створювали ідеологічне виправдання нерівності.
• Священні тексти й обряди часто редагувалися чи тлумачилися так, щоб зміцнити владу чоловіків.
• Держава й закон використовували ці релігійні норми для формалізації підлеглого становища жінок.
📌 Патріархати виникали по-різному в різних культурах
• Не існує єдиного походження патріархату: у різних суспільствах це відбувалося в різний час і з різних причин (поява приватної власності, поява держав, війни).
• Є приклади суспільств без явного патріархату навіть у пізні історичні часи.
📌 Патріархат не є стабільним або незмінним
• Патріархальні структури завжди потребували підтримки — через закони, релігію, культуру.
• Жінки завжди знаходили способи опору або обхід цих структур.
«Патріархи. Витоки нерівності» — книга, яка порушує важливу тему, але, на жаль, реалізація залишає бажати кращого (НА МОЮ ДУЖЕ СУБʼЄКТИВНУ ДУМКУ)
Попри актуальність і глибину теми, читати було складно через відсутність чіткої структури. Тексти перетікали з однієї теми в іншу без логічного зв’язку, що ускладнювало сприйняття. Складається враження, що авторка більше виступає як упорядниця цитат і думок інших дослідників, ніж як авторка з власною позицією.
Бракувало чітких висновків, авторського голосу, а повторення одних і тих самих тез лише посилювали відчуття інформаційного шуму. У підсумку — багато тексту, але мало нового чи ґрунтовного.
Основна ідея — що патріархат є соціальним конструктом, а не природним явищем — важлива, але її можна було подати значно лаконічніше й переконливіше.
Трохи структури, з усього прочитаного на 350 сторінках:
📌 Патріархат не є «природним» чи універсальним:
• Ранні людські спільноти не були однозначно патріархальними.
• Археологічні та етнографічні дані свідчать, що багато суспільств мали рівноправні чи матрилінійні моделі, або більш гнучкі ролі для чоловіків і жінок.
• Домінування чоловіків сформувалося поступово, через зміни в економіці, власності, політиці.
📌 Головний механізм патріархату — контроль над тілом і потомством жінки
• Патріархат ґрунтується на контролі над жіночою сексуальністю, шлюбом, дітонародженням.
• Родина й шлюб стали інструментами, через які закріплювалася влада чоловіка.
• Жінки часто розглядалися як ��посудини для потомства», носії честі роду.
📌 Релігія та держава як союзники патріархату
• Релігійні системи (юдаїзм, християнство, іслам, індуїзм тощо) створювали ідеологічне виправдання нерівності.
• Священні тексти й обряди часто редагувалися чи тлумачилися так, щоб зміцнити владу чоловіків.
• Держава й закон використовували ці релігійні норми для формалізації підлеглого становища жінок.
📌 Патріархати виникали по-різному в різних культурах
• Не існує єдиного походження патріархату: у різних суспільствах це відбувалося в різний час і з різних причин (поява приватної власності, поява держав, війни).
• Є приклади суспільств без явного патріархату навіть у пізні історичні часи.
📌 Патріархат не є стабільним або незмінним
• Патріархальні структури завжди потребували підтримки — через закони, релігію, культуру.
• Жінки завжди знаходили способи опору або обхід цих структур.
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)
December 5, 2023
Ik ben nu bijna op de helft … 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 … Archeoloog Huppeldeflups vertelde mij … De bekende schrijver Huppeldeflups schreef dat …
Schrijfster heeft nog niet één keer geschreven wat ze er zelf van vindt, of ze überhaupt 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 … Archeoloog Huppeldeflups vertelde mij … De bekende schrijver Huppeldeflups schreef dat …
Schrijfster heeft nog niet één keer geschreven wat ze er zelf van vindt, of ze überhaupt 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
June 19, 2024
Very interesting subject matter but read a bit like a first year sociology student trying to put in as many quotes as possible into an essay without fully exploring the ideas. It seemed quite disjointed and didn't quite flow as well as it could have.
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 😀
Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews