On Wed, 10 Sep 1997, Eleanor Arnason wrote:
> I suspect that male dominance originated early in human history and derives
> from the kind of size dominance hierarchies that seem typical of many
> mammalian societies. I also suspect that male dominance now is cultural.
>
> Anyway, I think control of reproduction is THE big issue between men and
> women; and I wanted to create a society where women had absolute say in this
> area. But why did they have absolute say? Because -- like female hyenas --
> they were larger than the males.
I am afraid your first suspection will not be justified --though
there may be some clues-- until _homo sapiens sapiens_ develops the Time
Machine (GOD SAVE SF CLICHES) or some really revolutionary methods are found in
anthropology. Yet, shamefully, there are (at least here in Turkey) Muslim
sects justifying the (especially physical) dominance of women by referring
to the so-called fact that Allah had created them small, weak, and less
intelligent, so they need protection. Using physical differences (e.g.
size) for domination of women is, unfortunately, not buried deep in the
early history of the humankind.
Worse still, as you mentioned, domination of women is structured today in
culture, in the matrix of most of the relations between man and woman, man
and man, even woman and woman. When, in history, men began to use natural
differences to construct cultural practices of domination? This is a
debated issue.
Not only biological reproduction, but reproduction of relations of
dominance, and of production is also a great problem. If the market
forces, the language, the mother's taking care of her child is produced
and reproduced in a sexist way, we face a problem with deeper roots.
Is there a "logic of domination" behind all these? For Karen J. Warren,
there is:
(B1) Women are identified with nature and the realm of the physical;
men are identified with the "human" and the realm of the mental.
(B2) Whatever is identified with nature and the realm of the physical is
inferior to ("below") whatever is identified with the "human" and
the realm of the mental,
(B3) Thus, women are inferior to men.
(B4) For any X and Y, if X is superior to Y, then X is justified in
subordinating Y.
(B5) Men are justified in subordinating women.
(Taken from Warren (1990), "The power and promise of ecological
feminism," _Environmental Ethics_ 12, 2: 125-46.)
However, which has been deterministic in the current domination of women,
nature or culture? Or was there a dialectical relationship?
At this point, fictive works, particularly science fiction presents the
social critic valuable experiences: Genderless societies, societies where
homosexuality is the norm, planets where women dominate at all levels, or
where all men are dead (I recall one of Tiptree's stories: "Houston,
Houston, Do You Read?")... If SF can be emancipated from its "escapist",
"childish", "thrash" labels (and I believe this has been achieved in the
West to a great extent), more attention will be given to what is
happening there.
However, glorifying mystical experiences of femininity (in SF or in
social-scientific literature) is also dangerous waters. A feminist school
of thought must critically analyze sex, gender, and patriarchy; both
masculinity _and_ femininity must be critically approached. OK, it is
fantastic to read about a planet of androgyne humanoids (which is SF), or
it is insight-giving to learn how "I am protecting the forest" becomes "I
am part of the rain forest protecting myself. I am part of the rain forest
recently emerged into thinking," which consequently leads us to the
worship of Gaia the Goddess (which is social science)... However,
metaphysics (for me) cannot construct an agenda of real life, of political
struggle. We should not exaggerate what SF gives us.
I have written an awfully long post... It is time I left... BYE!
EMRAH
PS: The above statement about rain forests is taken from Plumwood, V.
(1991) "Nature, self, and gender: feminism, environmental philosophy, and
the critique of rationalism," _Hypatia_ 6, 1: 3-27.
PPS: I have access to Internet only from the university, so I have not yet
checked out the... oh, 75 messages arrived from FEMINISTSF. Sorry if this
argument seems pointless.
PPPS: This week my courses, registration, and other "red tape" stuff
begins, I will not be able to answer anybody for a week.
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