Viricentrisme of onderdrukking

Samenvatting

The relative power of males & females in the public & private sphere is much less balanced than has been suggested by S. van der Geest (see SA 29:2/L4597); this holds true even if one tries to eliminate viricentric biases by which the importance of the private sphere is undervalued. By investigating various acutal means of power of the sexes, van der Geest's model of the ideological inversion of reality is criticized; cases, mainly from Sri Lanka, are given. It is emphasized that even in the private sphere, which is not as harmonious as van der Geest assumes, the limits to the exercise of female power are many, in no way providing room for full compensation for Fs' lack of power in the public sphere. In Over macht en onmacht tussen mannen and vrouwen: een weerwwoord (Power and Powerlessness between Men and Women: A Rejoinder), Sjaak van der Geest emphasizes that males tend to dominate in the public & females in the private sphere. Because the private sphere is usually concealed, anthropologists often overlook the power of females. The frequent occurrence of male violence toward females in the private sphere does not imply that males are also dominant in this sphere, since such violence may reflect powerlessness. A more refined definiton of power, particularly with respect to male-female relationships, is needed. Modified HA.