Jennaway Sisters And Lovers

Throughout this course, we learned that women’s studies originated as a concern at the time that “women and men noticed the absence, misrepresentation, and trivialization of women [in addition to] the ways women were systematically excluded from many positions of power and authority” (Shaw, Lee 1). In the past, men had more privileges than women. Women have battled for centuries against certain patterns of inadequacy that all women experience. Every culture and customs has divergent female

In early April of 1958 American Cultural anthropologist, Clifford Geertz and his wife decided to go to a small village in Bali with the intentions of studying Balinese culture. He begins his essay by discussing his first impressions on the Balinese’s attitudes towards outsiders. The Balinese typically treat those who are not part of their society by simply ignoring them. This mistreatment continued until 10 days after his arrival to Bali when an illegal cockfight they were attending was raided by police, and Geertz ran with the Balinese instead of going to the police. From that day forward they were accepted by the Balinese and no longer considered “invisible”. He continues to explain that only when they were accepted by the community, were they were finally able to learn and be aware about the importance of

Sociological imagination highlights how society places the two sexes in unequal positions of wealth, power and privilege. It is therefore very useful to look beyond the gender itself and see the global issues associated with it. There are differences regarding the type of gender in different countries, the levels of gender inequality and the amount of violence that are necessary to maintain both systems of difference and domination. Women were always viewed as weak, sensitive, dependent and unintelligent so the society formed a view that they have to sit home, do the housework and raise the children. They were always considered less skilled, incapable of doing a hard work and even now women are more likely to be paid less than man. Women are more likely to be abused and they are less likely to have access to formal power. According to the United Nations, “At least one in five of world’s female population has been physically or sexually abused by a man at some time in their life” (UNFPA, 2000: p. 25).

Power is different between women and men. Throughout history there has always been a lower expectation of women in society. The book touches every angle to what was happening in this country, where health conditions are very bad, women were being controlled by men, and women are losing their lives while giving birth. The mortality rate is very high because of the lack of equipment and health

Clifford Geertz in “Deep Play” gives us a detailed account of the Balinese cockfight which he defines as a sociological entity and a simulation of social matrix. Persistently ignored by the natives, anthropologist and his wife were only accepted into the community after demonstrating solidarity by fleeing from the cockfight like other villagers. Through his interaction with the Balinese and observation, Geertz attempts to disentangle the meaning and nature of cockfight which appears to play a significant role in Balinese society. At first, he analyzes the cockfight from general and universal perspective, assuming that cocks are “magnifications of the narcissistic male ego”, but then considers the particularities of the Balinese culture: Its

In Wayward Women, Wardlow explores roles of women within the society of the Huli people in Papua New Guinea. Within their society, Huli women are treated as a commodity. They are servants to their husbands and those that attempt to fight this system are labeled as pasinja meri, a derogative term given to those who try to escape the system. Huli women are oppressed and commoditized by the Huli system of brideswealth for their value as a sexual product instead of as people.

In Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power: Race and the Intimate in Colonial Rule, the author, Ann Laura Stoler, examines the cultural intricacies of colonial rule in Indonesia. Namely, the juxtapositioning between intimate matters, such as sex and affection, and politics. Stoler examines the subtle crossings-over between two things that do not seem to fit together in this work. By investigating various forms of social classification, such as race, gender, and class, Stoler is able to look deeper into the interactions between these forms; what is expected, what is taboo, and what is forbidden. She categorizes these careful, critical interactions throughout the book, showing a glimpse into colonial life. This is the foundation for her overarching argument- that

Mill makes a very strong argument that the position women have in society is not the only possible way to structure societal hierarchy. The reason it seems unnatural to change its structure, he claims, is because it is uncustomary.

Leacock’s approach to anthropology stemmed from materialist theories, but her ethnographical works were a detailed mix, which focused on historical processes. In Women’s Status in Egalitarian Society: Implications for Social Revolution, She argues that ethnographies presented on the topic were misguided due to their ahistorical approach, ethnocentric perspectives concerning social-economic notions attributed to Western societies, and the oversight of the effects of capitalism. Leacock claims taking a historical approach when analyzing women’s status in egalitarian band societies will lead to a less oppressed view of women’s standing. She rejects the idea that women’s roles are submissive and subservient to men, pointing out they are assumptions that “…both derive from and perpetuate a view of such society as merely an incipient form of our own” (Moore, 2009, p.246). Leacock points to the lack of evidence in research stating that, “Women are commonly stated or implied to hold low status in one or another society without benefit of empirical documentation” (Moore, 2009, p.247). Another major fault she uncovers is in the contradictory findings within Ruth Landes’ “Objiwai Women”; women of the same society are initially portrayed to be “self-sufficient” and “independent”, but later are described as “inferior” to men, unskilled, and dependent on men. In this piece Leacock concludes that ahistorical approaches do not correctly describe women’s status in egalitarian

Throughout history every civilization has looked to the stars and pondered their existence. While never truly reaching an understanding of their purpose on this lonely blue planet we call earth, they have constantly strived to further their understanding of the world and it’s mysteries. This thirst for knowledge has evolved with humans for a millennia and has changed as we have. One question that teased the mind of man for centuries was the quandary of sexes. Both a sociological and physical conundrum, the true station of a man or women in society has always been an important issue in any developing nation. Historically men have always been tasked with the more socially demanding tasks in their community while women are assigned the menial

When it comes to gender studies, the term of hegemonic masculinity is generally used to describe a theory of male dominance in society and culture. By exploring gender roles and its interplay with race and class, hegemonic masculinity seeks to explain how men have historically maintained a position of dominance in society, and why such dominance has been successfully maintained. Hegemonic masculinity has been historically maintained around the world, in different cultures, in a wide variety of ways. Historically, for example, denying women legal rights, or more brutal methods such as domestic violence or female circumcision and rape, were all tools that were part of maintaining this particular hegemony. It is important to note that hegemonic

In many modern societies, a common belief is that women should have equal standing with men politically, socially, and in the workforce (Alesina, Guiliano, and Nunn 1). This support is generally associated with feminism, which advocates for equality between all genders (Issist). In other societies, women are unable to seek opportunities past traditional gender roles, such as domestication and childbearing (Alesina, Guiliano, and Nunn 1). This ideology is often referred to as patriarchy, which expects women to conform to stereotypes that are based on assumptions about femininity and maternal instinct. The influences of traditional gender roles revolve around conditioning, restraint, and submissive characteristics, which can result in women living in boredom and misery (Yildirim 47). To reveal the corrupt nature of the customary expectations of women living during the 1800s, the author illustrates Hedda’s marriage to George Tesman, as the husband expects his wife to devote her life solely to the wellbeing of her household and family. If Hedda decides to conform to the traditional gender roles of the Victorian era, she will not be able to express her individuality or intelligence. The only purpose that she will serve in society will be to raise children and attend to the needs of her husband. This imposes limitations on her basic human rights, as her society views her as inferior and

In studying Bali it is easy for an anthropologist to overlook cockfighting and "aside from a few passing remarks, the cockfight has barely been noticed" (276). However through Geertz's observation he believes that the cockfighting has much more depth to it and it is not the cocks that are fighting, "actually, it is men" (276). In Bali animals are not portrayed as beautiful creatures but detested as representing demons. Much of Balinese life is adjusted to prevent any association with animals so they will "file the child's teeth" at a young age and eat "hurriedly and privately" because they believe it is beast-like (278). The Balinese are "aversive to animals," so why are they so involved with cockfights? Geertz believes the male Balinese identify with cocks as what they "most fear, hate, and are fascinated by – The Powers of Darkness" (278). Rather than treating the cocks cruelly like any other animal, they treat them with a tremendous amount of care and respect, even beyond that of fellow humans. Geertz as an anthropologist is capable of recognizing this relationship between the Balinese men and their fascination with cocks and how it has an affect on their culture.

Amongst societies, there is a great variety of means of survival, all of which are dependent upon factors influencing the community—geographical location and structure of authority, to name a few. Such factors and the community’s ways of survival create the underlying basis of other complex issues, including the relationship between the sexes. Many anthropological papers that concentrate on the modes of production of specific groups of people have shown a connection between the modes of production and the presence or absence of gender inequality. Futhermore, there is also evidence of a further causality between the two: as a society adopts a more complex mode of

What Toer depicts in the Javanese region of Indonesia is a changing world as the Dutch East India Company begins to lose control and begins to disolve in Indonesia. Minke is a young Javanese man who spent his early life being educated in Dutch schools, this allows him some prvileges and eventually leads to many of his problems. Minke is a native and as a result must abide by his traditional customs while also attempting to fit in with the colonizing Dutch powers that have different values. Minke must evaluate how this education has allowed him to be part of the powerful Dutch colonizers, who have different ideas on how women are treated in business, at home and how women are not pigeon holed, as they are in his native rules. Nyai Ontosoroh, is one of these women who alters Minke’s understanding of how the