Neolithic Women. Gender in Early Agricultural Societies
CNRS| N° d'inventaire | 23736 |
| Format | 14 x 22 |
| Détails | 302 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2021 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782271137272 |
Male domination is a near-universal fact: more than 80% of human groups are patrilineal and have strong male power. The Neolithic period, which saw the emergence of agriculture and livestock farming, is undoubtedly one of the most important periods for understanding how and why our societies are still configured this way today. Examining how the two fundamental social categories of women and men were formed and interacted during the transition to the status of sedentary farmers and livestock breeders represents a major challenge in the search for the origins of inequalities.
Gender relations in the Neolithic period have still been little explored. However, we must be cautious and base our conclusions on what the data we have gathered. However, gender only exists if it is fulfilled, if it is visible. It materializes through attributes, postures and gestures, through habits, and through the way activities are carried out. This materiality benefits the archaeological discipline, whose main support is the analysis of the material productions of humans in all their forms: adornments, costumes and tools, dietary habits, subsistence activities, etc.
One of the first European Neolithic cultures, the Rubané, lends itself perfectly to such an approach: many characteristics of this society are known and can be used to bring out the first information that can be stated on the conditions of women in the Neolithic.
Male domination is a near-universal fact: more than 80% of human groups are patrilineal and have strong male power. The Neolithic period, which saw the emergence of agriculture and livestock farming, is undoubtedly one of the most important periods for understanding how and why our societies are still configured this way today. Examining how the two fundamental social categories of women and men were formed and interacted during the transition to the status of sedentary farmers and livestock breeders represents a major challenge in the search for the origins of inequalities.
Gender relations in the Neolithic period have still been little explored. However, we must be cautious and base our conclusions on what the data we have gathered. However, gender only exists if it is fulfilled, if it is visible. It materializes through attributes, postures and gestures, through habits, and through the way activities are carried out. This materiality benefits the archaeological discipline, whose main support is the analysis of the material productions of humans in all their forms: adornments, costumes and tools, dietary habits, subsistence activities, etc.
One of the first European Neolithic cultures, the Rubané, lends itself perfectly to such an approach: many characteristics of this society are known and can be used to bring out the first information that can be stated on the conditions of women in the Neolithic.