LoveReading Says
With an anthropological eye, Angela Saini’s The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule is an eye-opening triumph. Blending scholarly rigour with writerly flair, it’s an essential read for anyone interested in big history, human nature, equality and freedom.
In her introduction, Saini states that, “People have long struggled to understand the patriarchy” i.e. the question of how men came to have power has not been answered. This is, in part, as the author argues, because gendered oppression is often regarded differently from other forms of oppression, such as class oppression. All too often arguments revert to essentialism; many still posit the view that patriarchy is somehow inevitable. For context, the author provides examples of matriliny, and exposes the bias inherent in the “matrilineal puzzle”, as it’s known in academic circles i.e. academics seek to explain why matriliny arose in certain societies, while patriliny “is seen to need no explanation at all. It just is.”
In this clearly unsatisfactory situation, The Patriarchs unpacks the history of patriarchy, tracing it back to its prehistoric roots to reveal how male power took pervasive hold in certain societies through time, and across the globe. And all this is underpinned by a call to rethink our institutions, and abandon the idea that the “social patterns we follow must be natural or divine, rather than manmade”. Mighty in scope and delivery, this is a tremendous, transformative work.
Joanne Owen
Find This Book In
| Primary Genre |
History
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| Other Genres: |
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The Patriarchs Synopsis
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2023
A WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR FOR POLITICS 2023
'I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book' Sathnam Sanghera
'By thinking about gendered inequality as rooted in something unalterable within us, we fail to see it for what it is: something more fragile that has had to be constantly remade and reasserted.'
In this bold and radical book, award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present.
Travelling to the world's earliest known human settlements, analysing the latest research findings in science and archaeology, and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia, she overturns simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far it goes back really depends on where you are.
Despite the push back against sexism and exploitation in our own time, even revolutionary efforts to bring about equality have often ended in failure and backlash. Saini ends by asking what part we all play - women included - in keeping patriarchal structures alive, and why we need to look beyond the old narratives to understand why it persists in the present.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780008418144 |
| Publication date: |
29th February 2024 |
| Author: |
Angela Saini |
| Publisher: |
4th Estate an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
320 pages |
| Primary Genre |
History
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| Other Genres: |
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Angela Saini Press Reviews
'I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book. And for such a serious topic, I was surprised to be greatly entertained too. Angela is the best possible guide' Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland
'It is easy to think of the progress of the past half-century in linear terms, as a march away toward gender equality and away from a grim patriarchal past. Saini dismantles this thinking. She points out, for example, that Western colonialism contributed to the destruction of gender diverse systems, which often granted greater freedoms for women. . . Western colonialism displaced more gender-fluid and often matriarchal systems of relations' Science
'A deep and incisive look at the historical origins of patriarchal structures we are still fighting today. A must-read for every feminist' Rafia Zakaria, author of Against White Feminism
'This is a truly excellent, important and insightful book. By unpacking the terms
patriarchy
and
feminism , Saini reveals that the words themselves have complex histories. She reminds us to critique every piece of evidence and wade back through centuries of misunderstanding, misrepresentation and mistruths. A glorious work!' Janina Ramirez
'Bold, incisive, and beautifully told, The Patriarchs is a truly riveting investigation into the origins and consequences of structural power. The depth and originality of Angela Saini's thought and research is breath-taking, and world-changing. A phenomenally important and deeply enjoyable book' Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women
'Based on extensive interviews with leading experts, this wide-ranging book injects new life into debates on the origins of patriarchy' David Wengrow, Professor of Comparative Archaeology at UCL and author of The Dawn of Everything
