The Creation of Patriarchy

The author of the afterword to this German edition makes a good point: this book was (among other things) a feminist counterargument to the socialist ideas of the 1970s which saw inequality between social classes as the primary problem, oppression of women as secondary. The book is indeed a product of it's time. I don't think I have any other book in my library which pays so much attention to the work of Engels.

Nevertheless, the author argues quite convincingly (especially in chapter 4) that treating women as property was a fundamental component of social organization in early civilizations, starting from the near east in the third millenium B.C. Chapters 5-6, which analyze selected aspects of Mesopotamian laws, also provide some show more interesting perspectives on this extremely patriarchal society. I was a bit surprised that so much evidence is available. Other books I have read about Mesopotamia were silent on this topic.

I believe the author's plan was to trace, at least in part, the patriarchal tradition from Mesopotamia to modern times. It is not surprising that such a large undertaking proved to be a bit too much for one person. She discusses religion and particularly the Bible in the second half of the book, but these chapters are in my opinion much less interesting than the first half.

This book is, in any case, well worth reading today. With the help of her deep understanding of anthropology and history, the author successfully completes her reinterpretation of early civilization as a haven of patriarchy. This book deserves higher acclaim and the topics it discusses will hopefully receive more investigation when mainstream historians start to realize what they have been missing. show less

A Criação do Patriarcado da Gerda Lerner é um livro extremamente necessário e que chegou ao Brasil com mais de três décadas de atraso.
Fruto de uma intensa pesquisa acadêmica em torno das sociedades da antiguidade, delineia como a opressão de gênero é a raiz principal de todas as demais opressões humanas que surgiram posteriormente.
Fica evidente que nos primórdios da socialização humana os papéis de gênero eram igualitários, homens e mulheres conviviam de igual para igual, mas aos poucos as coisas foram mudando, as mulheres começaram a servir de espólio de guerra como escravas, os mitos refletindo essas mudanças, as formas de dominação ficaram mais sofisticadas e o aniquilamento total da mulher se deu primeiro na show more Mesopotâmia, depois na Grécia e todo filamento judaico cristão que nos vilipendia até hoje.

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Every woman should read this book, or at least the last chapter, which is an excellent summary and call to action for women to rediscover and write their own history.