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Dominator Fundamentalism, Imaging a better world of partnership, Our Future by Riane Eisler, Social transformation, The Chalice & The Blade: Our History Our Future by Riane Eisler
We clearly see the key role of repressive gender and parent-child relations in the rise of fundamentalism—be it Eastern or Western, Muslim or Christian. While this phenomenon is generally mislabeled as religious fundamentalism, it is actually dominator fundamentalism. It is the reinstatement of authoritarian rule in both the family and the state or tribe, rigid male dominance, and the idealization of violence as a means of control.
Excerpt from the “Special 30th Anniversary Epilogue” of The Chalice & The Blade: Our History, Our Future by Riane Eisler, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, USA, 1987.
RIANE EISLER, a social systems scientist, cultural historian, and attorney, is president of the Center for Partnership Studies (CPS), dedicated to research and education. She is known worldwide for her bestseller The Chalice & The Blade: Our History, Our Future, now in 27 foreign editions and 57 printings in the USA. Archbishop Desmond Tutu praised her book on economics, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics, as “a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking.”
Three Worlds One Vision 
This sounds an interesting read! I am not sure that I agree with her second sentence as it sounds a little like redefining the issue just for the sake of obscuring the reality of religious fundamentalism. Hence, I need to read the book to see her arguments! Thanks for the tip.
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Colin, I highly recommend that you read Eisler’s book on the cultural history of humanity’s evolution from a peaceful, male-female partnership under the Mother Goddess to a violent, warmongering male-dominated, patriarchal culture.
Perhaps, her following paragraph may clarify why she prefers to use the word dominator instead of religious. I quote:
“Indeed, fundamentalism idealizes and even sanctifies violence, which is often manifested in so-called “holy wars” against other religions and ethnic groups…. This kind of fundamentalism is basically a regression to a more rigid and brutal form of the dominator system in which the ranking of man over woman, man over man, religion over religion, and nation over nation is backed up by violence or the threat of violence.”
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Thank you! I shall try and locate a copy. I have long had an interest in anthropology and its always – usually – interesting to read people’s views on cultural development! 🙂
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Like lots of things that never fully disappeared, we seem to be cycling through another period of repression. Here’s hoping our “better angels” improve the dystopian world moment. Thanks, Rosaliene.
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So true, Dr. Stein. In her book, Eisler noted that whenever we humans focused on our “better angels,” as during the Elizabethan age and the Renaissance, there was always a regressive and violent backlash to maintain the status quo.
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So it is – and so much evil is done in the name of religion
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Moreover, Derrick, the Christian Church cannot claim innocence for its hands, too, drip with the blood of men, women, and children as it rose to supremacy in Western Europe and later colonized the so-called New World of the Americas.
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Quite so.
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Thank you for sharing!!… Unfortunately there are elements of today’s world societies that are closed minded and reject change or anything contrary to their belief and they use fear as a weapon while trying to create an illusion to the contrary… today’s technology, and reality, is exposing them as to what they are as people gather a better understanding… “What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?” ( Mahatma Gandhi)… 🙂
Until we meet again…
May you always be blessed
with walls for the wind,
a roof for the rain,
a warm cup of tea by the fire,
laughter to cheer you,
those you love near you,
and all that your heart might desire.
(Irish Saying)
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Dutch, so glad that you dropped by 🙂 Gandhi’s observation still rings true and comes to the forefront in the current chaos unfolding in Afghanistan.
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I hadn’t heard the term dominator fundamentalism before. But it is everything I stand against. Open minds and open societies are where it’s at: It’s distressing that so many people don’t agree with that.
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I feel the same way, Neil, but we humans have been conditioned to violent domination for thousands of years. In the Introduction of her book, Eisler explains that the Cultural Transformation theory reexamines human society from a gender-holistic perspective and proposes that underlying the great surface diversity of human culture are two basic models of society. I quote:
“The first, which I call the dominator model, is what is popularly termed either patriarchy or matriarchy–the ranking of one half of humanity over the other. The second, in which social relations are primarily based on the principles of linking rather than ranking, may best be described as the partnership mode. In this model–beginning with the most fundamental difference in our species, between male and female–diversity is not equated with either inferiority or superiority.”
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Thank you for the reminder of this book, which I’ve wanted to read! And the quote….why is it so clear and yet so rarely articulated by leaders? I assume it’s because they rely on dominator fundamentalism for their power, whether republican or democrat.
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Kim, I highly recommend that you read Eisler’s book. Her meticulous research on humanity’s cultural evolution has been an eye-opener for me. It has become so much clearer now why a world of peaceful co-existence evades us, even with all of our technological advances. As she notes in her “Special 30th Anniversary Epilogue” about the social construction of gender and parent-child relations, and I quote:
“For repressive regimes–be they ancient or modern, capitalist or socialist, rightist or leftist, religious or secular, Eastern or Western–imposing or maintaining an authoritarian, male-dominated, punitive family is a top priority. These regimes recognize the connection between injustice, abuse, and violence in the family and injustice, abuse, and violence in politics and economics.”
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I added that book to my list! It’s actually a subject I’m interested in for a lot of reasons
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Excellent, TCK. This book is a must-read for understanding the social construction of human societies worldwide.
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Sounds like it. One thing I realized about how ridiculous Islamophobia is, especially in the US is Americans and people from Middle Eastern countries have more in common than we realize. We have seen how our countries have suffered under religious extremism. Some of the most interesting intercultural conversations I have had have been with people from the Middle East. I do feel the US needs to play a major catch-up in realizing this
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So true, TCK! Having grown up among Christians, Hindus, and Muslims in my native land of Guyana, I know well that we all share the same humanity and suffer from religious extremism that dictates how we must live and relate with others, at home and beyond.
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I believe it! I think being multicultural (even if you aren’t a TCK) really makes you think. I can easily have a few hour conversation with another multicultural person on whatever because we just naturally speak the same language, even if we don’t have the same cultural background
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This really seems to be a very thought provoking book! Thank you very much Rosaliene:)
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Thanks for dropping by, Martina 🙂 It’s, indeed, thought provoking. But, it’s much more in that it reveals why the human species now stands at the brink of our own self-annihilation.
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It seems to be a real challenge! Thank you, Rosaliene, for your extra-explanations:)
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