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Date: | Thu, 8 Jun 2000 19:36:59 EDT |
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In a message dated 6/8/00 3:49:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
> I have not,
> however, heard much about the roles of men and women in prehistoric time.
> Were they separate but equal? Men dominant and women submissive? Or all
> just in it together?
The book "The Sacred Hoop" by Paula Gunn Allen comes to mind. If I'm
remembering correctly (it's been years since I read it, but it had a huge
impact on my thinking), in her analysis of some tribal cultures (not all),
she explained that while there was a sexual division of labor, in many tribal
cultures the women's role was of as high or higher status than men's. Or,
"separate but equal."
The Sacred Hoop is a tough read, and may not apply strictly to
hunter/gatherer societies, but I liked how she outlined the gender roles and
how the differentiation was not necessarily one of one group having more
power than the other. It gave me a new way to think about the types of
social arrangements we're discussing with regard to Paleo-culture.
Kim
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