A Critical Examination of Feminist Vvri Tings on the Matriarchy. a Thesis

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A Critical Examination of Feminist Vvri Tings on the Matriarchy. a Thesis CALIFORNIA STATE Ul'HV.ERSITY, NORTHRIDGE CHILDREN,, OF THE GODDESS: A Critical Examination of Feminist vvri tings on the Matriarchy. A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for ·the degree of tllaster of l'~rts in An ·thropo logy by Lynne Bean // June, 1976 The Thesis of Lynne Bean is approved: California S-tate University, Northridge ii l ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS l This paper is the result of the invaluable I I assistance and support of many individuals. I wish to I thank, particularly, Dr. Evalyn Michaelson, teacher and friend, for her patience and editorial advice. I am I also extremely grateful to Dr. Liucija Baskauskas and ! Dr. Jacqueline Lindenfeld for their useful and pertinent criticisms. Finally, to Shirley Anderson, Eliot Bean, r.inda and Bill Waters and Rudy Schneider, whose belief t.hat it could be done made this work possible, thank you. I 1 i I i i I I I l i l I i I ~ i ! l i I ! I l I i ______ Ij ~--~·---- ·-····--·---··---··-------~·--·-.-~----·-------··---- --~- iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. 1''-CKNOWLEDGEMENTS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• iii 1 2 .. ABS'IRACT •..... (J •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• v 3. INTRODUCTION •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • 1 4. MYTH AS HISTORY: FOUNDATIONS OF' THE r'lATRIARCHY •••••••••••••••••••••• 9 5.. MY'I'I-I AND SYMBOL: A JUNGIAN VIEV\f OF WOMEN AND ~'lATRIARCHY •••••••••••• 20 6. N.YTI-IOLOGY AND !'"lA.TRIARCHY: EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED NYTHS •••••••••••••••••••••• 38 7 . .['.IJ...l\'I'RIARCHY AND WOMAN: A .FEMINIST VIEW ••••••••••••••••••••••••• ~ ••••••••• 61 8. SHrvJMl\RY AND CONCLUSIONS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 85 9. "BIBLIOGRAPHY •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 91 iv ···-· --~---····- ...... ·-~----~----~·---~- -·-·~---~ .. ----·-·--- ········--- --··--- ~ --~--~ --· ·--- .---·~-·-·-· --·-------------h-•h--~---·-··-----··----~---------'-·----~-~-~-: i ABSTRACT CHILDREN OF THE GODDESS: . ~. A Critical Examination of Feminist Writings on the I Matriarchy. I by I Lynne Bean I Master of Arts in Anthropology I The primary concern of this thesis is to indicate I the way in \'7hich certain contemporary feminists have made use of the idea of a matriarchal stage of cul·tural evolution to redefine the nature, values, symbols and I I history of womankind. To provide a historical perspec- ! tive, Bachofen and the Jungians are discussed as non- feminist proponents of a matriarchal stage of history. I Ba.chofen was the 19th century originator of the concept I of a universal s·tage of culture in which women were r dominant.• 'I'he Jungians contend tha·t there is a relation- ship between matriarchal myths and symbols and the psychic even·ts which determine the behavior of women. v --------------------------- -- .. -----·----· -- --------------------- ·-------------- --------- ---- ----------------------- ------------------------------·---------------------~~ S2lccted Greek myths, th8ugh·t to be indicative of I a gynocratic epoch are discussed. Consideration of thesel i myths and ·the interpretation given them offers a basis I for understanding the growth of the feminine stereotype. I Feminists have used these myths ·as a source of symbols I and values with which to attach and reinterpret this s·tereotype. An example of the meaning which the matri- archy holds for feminists is provided by Forfreedom's (1972:30) statemen·t that the "characteristics that all matriarchies have shared, and which makes them important to vJOmen today, is that women in a rna tr iarchy had self- respect, self-determination in all ways, and all women at. all levels were assured tha·t the society truly was governed in t.heir direct interests." Steinem (1973:2-3) summarizes those values which are thought to have been characteristic of the matriarchal periods of history and \vhich feminists "are now trying ·to introduce into the mainstream; strength and self-reliance for women; peace- fulness and estee.m for human life; a diminishment both l t ~ I of 'masculine' aggression and o£ the belief that vio- ' lence is the only way of solving conflicts." Feminists II ! also include such qualities as nurturance, empathy, emotionality and intuitiveness in their description of l values a':tributed to woman "hich are of value to society. I l j _____ JI vi ~·~-··- -·- ------ .. - "---- -------- ----- -- ··---- --. ·----- ------- --------·- ·------ --- ------------- ---------------------·---------------------------·--------l ' I Thus, while the matriarchy has been used by patri­ archal authors to justify patriarchal institutions it 1 I is now being used by feminist writers to justify a new and more equalitarian socie-ty. l l i i ______j vii INTRODUC['ION Beginning in the late 1960's a resurgence of feminism took place in this coun·try and has since ·that time spread throughout a considerable portion of the globe. Thus there exist today a number of loosely connected, amorphous groups of women known variously as 'rhe Women's Liberation Movement, The Women's Movement or Women's Lib. The many factors which led to this rebirth of feminism are still far from being clearly detailed and understood. What can be stated with a greater degree of certainty, however, is that the ne~v-ly burgeoning aware- ness on the part of feminis·ts has resulted in a consid- erable body of writings concerning all facets of woman's existence: her political status, sexual behavior, social condi·tion_s, biology and past achievements. Within the last few years, and increasing at a geometric if not exponential rate, various '1,-TOrks have been produced by women in this society which consider the history of mankind as just that - a "his-story" of male Homo sapiens. Finding what they perceive as an unmitigated bias on the part of masculine writers, par- ticularly in the social sciences, women began to search for new or alternate explanations of their origins. Thus far their quest has led them to anthropology and the con- cept of ·the matriarchy, a theory which has fallen into disrepute among most American anthropologists. The pro- 1 2 posal that there once existed a primitive matriarchy which preceded and was responsible for the development of civi-­ lization, until it fell under the forces of masculine aggression, is one of those 19th century evolutionary schemes which is considered with incredulity, if at all, by contemporary scholars. It was abandoned under the burden of the new requirements for more ·than mere sup­ position, however intriguing, and the necessity for pre­ sen·ting at least some semblance of 'hard' data to suppor-t one's premises. The intent of this thesis is to offer a critical examina-tion of some current feminist wri-tings on the matriarchy and the values, my-ths and symbols associated with it. More specifically, my purpose is to indicate the ways in which feminists have used the idea of a ma-triarchal stage in cultural evolution to redefine the na·ture, values, symbols and history of womankind. These concepts or ideas were masculine and non-feminist initi­ ally. However, despite their origin, they have been adopted and altered by the feminists to support a new version of womanhood past and present. The feminists considered in this work were chosen on the basis of their publications in support of the concept of a matriarchal stage of history. This paper will provide a proper historical context in ·which to view the feminists' assertions. The initial 3 section will be primarily concerned with J. J. Bachofen (1967), as he was the first to insist upon the actuality of a matriarchal period in history. Bachofen also pro­ vides an example of the historical approach to myth, wherein myth is thought to be a reflection of actual historical events and is interpreted as history. Bache­ fen, as originator of the concept of a matriarchal period of culture, is often quoted by the feminist supporters of the matriarchy. However, the feminists are quite selec­ tive in their use of his work and are by no means in com­ plete accord with Bachofen's description Of matriarchal society. Feminists tend to concentrate on Bachofen's characterization of the matriarchy as a time of peace, E~quality and harmony with na-ture, while ignoring any criticisms he may have made regarding its limitations. Certain details are also in dispute bet1;veen Bachofen and the feminists. For example, Bachofen viewed woman's dis­ like of promiscuity and her desire for the stability of marriage as a major factor leading to the growth of -the matriarchy. On the other hand, Forfreedom (1972}, a feminis·t supporter of the matriarchy's existence, insists that marriage did not exist as a formal institution during matriarchal times and that women were free to choose or change their sexual partners a·t will. Feminists also ignore Bachofen's (1967) insistence that patriarchy was a necessary and higher stage of development than the 4 preceding gynocracy. Bachofcn believed that womankind lacked ·the proper spiritual attributes to lead humani·ty to greater levels of achievement, while feminists see the success of the patriarchal revolution as a bitter defeat for human progress. The next section will consider Jung (1959,1968,1969) and certain of his followers who offer another non- fem:Lnis·t v1ew of the matriarchy and its values, myths and symbols. The Jungians contend that there is a rela·tion- ship between matriarchal symbols and the psychic events -;;,·7h ich determine the behavior of women. ,Jung and his followers offer a psychological interpretation of myth. 'rha·t is, myth is perceived as an expression of events occurring in the human unconscious rather
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