Feminist Anthropology Flashcards
Simone de Beauvoir (1908 - 1986)
“The Second Sex” (1949)
Margaret Mead (1901-1978)
“Coming of Age in Samoa” (1928) = supportive social networks, relaxed attitudes to sexuality, and lack of strict parental control provided smooth transition of adolescence + social permissiveness, division of labour, and relaxed cultural attitudes to sex provided flexible gender roles;
“Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies” (1935): Cultural Variations in Gender Roles: Arapesh men and women were gentle, nurturing, and cooperative = “feminine” in Western contexts; Mundugumor men and women were aggressive, assertive, and competitive = “masculine”;
Tchambuli gender roles reversed: women were dominant and managerial= responsible for managing trade and economic activities, such as the distribution of goods and the negotiation of trade deals, while men were more emotionally dependent, not hiding their feelings and often seeking comfort and reassurance from their female partners, also being concerned with aesthetics: decorating themselves with ornaments and engaging in artistic activities, spending considerable time adorning themselves with shells, feathers, and other decorative items
Eleanor Leacock (1922-1987)
“Myths of Male Dominance: Collected Articles on Women Cross-Culturally” (1981) = revealed that gender relations in many Indigenous societies were more egalitarian before the imposition of European colonial structures: how women’s roles and statuses were undermined by the fur trade and other colonial economic activities;
“Women’s Status in Egalitarian Society: Implications for Social Evolution” (1992) = Marxist argument that the subordination of women is closely linked to the development of class society and private property => communal move to stratified economic systems, women’s roles often diminished, and their labor became undervalued : Agricultural -> Private Property -> Class Structures -> Patriarchal Social Norms -> Colonial/ Capitalist influence
Sherry Ortner (1941-)
“Is Female to Male as Nature Is to Culture?” (1974) = Women symbolically associated with nature due to their biological roles in reproduction and child-rearing, Men are associated with culture, which involves human transcendence of nature through creativity and social organisation = higher status;
“Gender and Sexuality in Hierarchical Societies: The Case of Polynesia and Some Comparative Implications” (1981) = Gender relations in hierarchical Polynesia deeply intertwined with social stratification and rank, High-ranking women can have significant authority and influence, challenging universal subordination to men.
Sexuality is both a site of personal expression and a domain regulated by social norms and power dynamics, control and regulation of female sexuality are crucial mechanisms through which hierarchical societies maintain social order e.g. arranged marriages, virginity norms, and the emphasis on female chastity, which are linked to the broader social and political structures.
Marilyn Strathern (1941)
Social Construction of Environment
Domesticity naturalised as feminie
“No Nature. No Culture: The Hagen Case” (1980) Nature/ Culture deeply intertwined in cosmology and social practices instead of as a separate realm, performing rituals to ensure successful harvests, protect against natural disasters, or honour ancestral spirits; Social Construction of Environment in Hagen people of Papua New Guinea categorising plants and animals based on usefulness, social significance, and symbolic meanings rather than relying on biological taxonomies
“Domesticity and the Denigration of Women” (1984) = Domestic labor, primarily performed by women within the private sphere of the home, is systematically undervalued and marginalised within Western societies because of gendered ideologies and economic structures prioritising market-based production and masculine forms of work over the unpaid and often invisible work; Construction of Domesticity as a feminine domain naturalises gender inequalities as nurturing, selfless; Devaluation of domestic labor compounded by broader social hierarchies based on race, class, and ethnicity => Financial dependence
Michelle Rosaldo (1944-1981)
Intersection:
Black women and Latina women more likely to experience wage gaps and occupational segregation compared to White women.
Colonialism, poverty, and cultural marginalisation => Maternal mortality and lack access to reproductive healthcare services, including contraception and prenatal care.
Language proficiency, socioeconomic status, and cultural expectations regarding gender roles e.g. immigrant girls from low-income families may face challenges in accessing quality education and may be expected to prioritise household responsibilities over academic pursuits.
Transgender women of colour disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and face barriers to accessing healthcare services due to discrimination and stigma.
Audre Lorde (1934-1992)
“The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” (1984)
True liberation requires radical transformation of existing power structures as dominant systems of power- including racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism- are interconnected and mutually reinforcing- creating hierarchies of privilege and oppression that cannot be dismantled by working within the existing frameworks of power => calls for a collective reimagining of society that centres the experiences and perspectives of those who have been marginalised and excluded
Judith Butler (1956-)
“Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity” (1990) = “Performativity” of gender => Acts of subversion, such as gender non-conformity, drag performance, and queer activism, have the potential to destabilise normative categories and open up new possibilities for identity and expression.
Regulation:
Laws : Criminalising same-sex relationships or cross-dressing used to marginalise and stigmatise LGBTQ+ individuals.
Rape and domestic abuse inadequately addressed by legal systems, perpetuating cycles of harm and victimisation.
Medicine : Homosexuality was listed as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until 1973.
Hormone therapy and surgical procedures used to enforce binary understandings of gender, often without informed consent.
Intersex bodies subjected to non-consensual surgeries and medical interventions conforming them to normative standards of sex and gender, resulting in physical and psychological harm.
Religion : Heteronormative and cis-normative beliefs, teaching that heterosexual, binary gender relationships morally superior and divinely ordained.
LGBTQ+ individuals faced condemnation and discrimination within religious communities, leading to social ostracism, spiritual harm, and internalised stigma.
Intersectional: Women of colour face racialized stereotypes, wage gaps, and limited access to higher-paying jobs; Transgender people of color experience higher rates of homelessness, unemployment, and violence compared to their cisgender and White counterparts; Indigenous women experience higher rates of maternal mortality and inadequate prenatal care compared to non-Indigenous women; Immigrant women, particularly those with undocumented status or limited English proficiency, face heightened risks of sexual assault, exploitation, and trafficking; Disabled women often face barriers to reproductive healthcare, including limited access to contraception, prenatal care, and fertility treatments + discrimination, ableism, and coercive practices in reproductive decision-making
Sharon E. Hutchinson
“Nuer Dilemmas: Coping with Money, War, and the State” (1996)
Revision of the Nuer
