The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal LegacyTemple University Press, 2005 - 305 pages "The Gender Knot," Allan Johnson's response to the pain and confusion that men and women experience by living with gender inequality, explains what patriarchy is and isn't, how it works, and what gets in the way of understanding and doing something about it. Johnson's simple yet powerful approach avoids the paralyzing trap of guilt, blame, anger, and defensive denial that often result from conversations about gender. He shows how we all participate in an oppressive system we didn't create and how each of us can contribute towards its dissolution. He argues persuasively that something much better is possible and that our individual choices matter more than we can ever know. This revised, and updated edition features expanded discussions of: * the core characteristics of patriarchy and its power as a social system * the relationship between individuals and social systems * men's movement assessments of patriarchy and gender inequality * keyOCoand controversialOCoterms such as sexism, privilege, and political correctness" |
Contents
1 | |
Patriarchy the System An It Not a He a Them or an Us | 25 |
Why Patriarchy? | 49 |
Ideology Myth and Magic Femininity Masculinity and Gender Roles | 76 |
Feminists and Feminism | 97 |
Thinking about Patriarchy War Sex and Work | 131 |
What Patriarchy? | 152 |
It Must Be Women | 176 |
Shame Guilt and Responsibility | 205 |
Unraveling the Gender Knot | 222 |
Resources for Unraveling the Knot | 243 |
Notes | 257 |
Index | 281 |
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Common terms and phrases
aggression argues behavior blame Books boys challenge connection defined denial depends devalued dominant groups dynamic economic emotional especially example exist experience Farrell fathers fear feel female feminine feminist focus happen heterosexual human idea identify individual Iron John issues John Stoltenberg Keen kind labor least resistance lesbians liberal feminism look male dominance male privilege male-identified Marilyn French masculine means men's movement Michael Michael Kaufman Michael Kimmel misogyny mothers Myth mythopoetic men's movement oppressive system organized ourselves path of least patriarchal culture patriarchal societies patriarchal system patriarchy perspective Politics Pornography privilege and oppression problem radical feminism Rape reality relation relationships Robert Bly role Sam Keen sense sexism shaped simply social systems subordinate systems of privilege taking responsibility there's things understand University Press victims violence against women vulnerable Warren Farrell wives woman women's oppression York
Popular passages
Page 12 - Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.