A BOOK REVIEW OF THE PATRIARCHS: HOW MEN CAME TO RULE (2022)

Abstract

Angela Saini's groundbreaking book "The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule" provides a well-defended and integrated cross-disciplinary analysis of the roots of misogyny and the subsequent advancement of patriarchal structures worldwide. Saini, using perspectives from anthropology, archaeology, history and evolutionary biology, counters sexism as an elected tendency and not an original human trait. Instead, she gives a detailed account and a complex view of how they interacted with each other influencing gender roles and development of patriarchy. Using examples of indigenous societies of different continents, societies of the Paleolithic era, and effects of colonialism, Saini clearly shows that gender arrangements have not been cast in stone for centuries and are rather highly changeable and diverse. Revisiting traditional ideas about gender and emphasizing the potential of gender intertwines, "The Patriarchs" can become the key for reevaluation of current oppressive tendencies concerning women.