Women in Climate (WiC) network
Women in Climate (WiC) network
Posted by Ruth Chapman
11 October 2023
This month we met to discuss Angela Saini’s new book, The Patriarchs. This book explores the roots of gendered oppression and explores the history of how modern patriarchy came about. Many of our attendees commented how they linked that the book was very structured and follows a very logical route through archaeological evidence, always with the caveat that interpretations of history and scientific evidence are filtered through the biases and prejudices of the viewer. This led to a discussion around how we view history, and the biases that evidence is viewed through when humans are interpreting it. We also noted the story of Marija Gimbutas, a researcher who suggested a matrilineal society may have existed in the so-called first city of Catalhoyuk. Her idea were mainly dismissed and even ridiculed while she was alive and after her death. However, in the last few decades, archaeologists have started to believe she may have been correct about some aspects of this city. This raises the challenging idea, of her ideas being dismissed for two discriminatory reasons. Because she was a woman, and also because her idea centred women in a past society. This serves as a reminder of how gendered inequality can combine with other types of discrimination in what is now recognised as intersectionality, and this shows the complexity of the issue.
The book starts with a very nice timeline which oversees human history from the human lineage diverging from apes, through historical dynasty’s and then more recent feminist movements all the way through to the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022. The book really highlights how gendered inequality is not set in stone, but rather something that has been shifting throughout history and is constantly being remade and reasserted. We commented on how the current moment in human history is fairly unique in the uniformity of patrilineal cultures across the globe and discussed if this had been made possible by colonialism and globalisation.
The book moves through themes such as domination, exception, restriction and revolution. We discussed how the book starts from more historical evidence, before slowly moving forwards in time towards the present day. A particular favourite chapter was called ‘exception’, which discusses cultures and communities which have matrilineal societies. Many of these societies have been worn down by modern culture, for example laws in the USA which required the fathers name to be given to children. Throughout these stories of cultures being eroded over the centuries however, there runs a theme of hope, as none of these changes have happed without opposition, and human societies are always shifting and changing.
Overall, we found the book to be very informative. While at times it is sad to read of past cultures being exploited and eroded, the book carefully leaves you with this sense of hope that society can change, and people have always fought for equality throughout history. If you have not read the patriarchs, we would recommend that you do so, it can be found here. We have previously read one of Angela Saini’s other books in WiC, and we would highly recommend all of her writing.