314 - Special Session. Patriarchy Revisited

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Abstract

The concept of patriarchy played a central role in the resurgence of feminist theory in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, however, use of the concept has waned, discouraged by post-modernist critiques and displaced by new waves of more empirically oriented gender analysis. Panelists will discuss these questions: What does it mean to describe some aspects of economic and social structure as patriarchal? Is the overarching concept of patriarchy still useful for understanding gender inequality? If so, what aspects of patriarchy have the most important effects today and what does this suggest feminist activists and policy makers should focus on? How can scholars analyze differences across space and over time in patriarchal systems embedded in a global capitalist economy?

Sub Unit

• Special Sessions

Session Organizer

• Paula England, New York University

Presider

• Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts

Panelists

• Sylvia Walby, Lancaster University

• Heidi I. Hartmann, Institute for Women's Policy Research

• Vrushali Patil, Florida International University

• Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts