By combining legal and genealogical methodologies, this book describes the origin, decline, resurgence and metamorphosis of patriarchy in the West. The book provides the reader with a unified tool for understanding what patriarchy is, its dynamics, and its main features. The reader will find a guide with which to navigate the dozens of definitions and theories of patriarchy, and will better understand why, despite the proclamations of formal Constitutions of the equality of the sexes, the gender gap in the West is still high. Approaching patriarchy both as a concept and as a social fact, the book shows how patriarchy lay at the Jewish-Greek-Roman roots of Western civilization; how for millennia it was perceived as a benevolent function for social and political life and how feminism reversed this benevolent narrative. By reconstructing how patriarchy has been theorized in several disciplines and historical times, the book reflects on what has been done and remains to be done to de-patriarchalize the West. It will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers and students in Women's Studies, Gender Studies, Constitutional Law, Cultural Studies, Religious Studies and Anthropology.

About the Author

Ilenia Ruggiu is Professor of Constitutional Law at the Department of Law, University of Cagliari, Italy.

Reviews

"Constitutional law Professor Ilenia Ruggiu has written a stunning book. The Roots of Patriarchy: A Legal and Genealogical Approach describes the origin and metamorphosis of patriarchy in the West. Over a nine year period, the author has traveled worldwide to interview scholars, thereby covering the waterfront from Italy to Asia. State patriarchy has deep roots that are now being challenged in the contemporary world.

A must read."

Laura Nader, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley

"This book provides analytical and historical insight into a key concept in feminist thought and claims its importance for the law; it is a must-read for jurists that take seriously the "woman question.""

Yuki Asano, Professor of Philosophy of Law, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan

Book Information
ISBN 9781032834498
Author Ilenia Ruggiu
Format Hardback
Page Count 230
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd