feminist anthropology

Beginning to read a year's worth of Godey's Magazine for women from 1896 has set me on a little research tangent. It is at first remarkable simply to read about conceptions of the "new woman," or independently thinking, outward peering woman of the late nineteenth century:

"The new woman of today represents the first great intellectual harvest which has ripened since that seed-sewing long ago. Old prejudices, one after another, have been overgrown, smothered with the ever-strengthening force of woman's intellectual power, until there hardly remains to-day an old original obstacle which has not been overcome; and the development, gathering force as it grows, is destined to uplift the race to heights undreamed of." (p. 23, Godey's Magazine, January, 1896)

But, after looking at the various articles on the modern woman for several minutes, I began to sense a unique authorial voice. I looked at the names of the writers. They were largely men. The articles I've skimmed so far are "The New Woman, Athletically Considered," "The New Woman in Office" (meaning merely to have a job outside the home), and "Music in America: The Women Composers." The first may have been written by a woman, as the author's first name is listed only as "W.," but the others have decidedly male voices - male voices that wonder at the strange and newly discovered talents and strengths of women, so long held captive by their households. It is clear that I have access to a document that presents a very interesting crossroads in women's rights and feminist theory. Women have jobs, but only men record it. Women compose successful pieces, but only men critique them.

The document I have represents the first wave of feminism in the U.S. I find it baffling that women can hold high positions in their communities at this time, but still don't have the right to vote.

I was talking to Daniel this morning about how disappointed I am in myself from day to day. He suggested I pursue independent research of some kind (of course it's a man telling me what to do). He asked me why I think women have historically submitted to patriarchy. My hypothesis from a biological or anthropological standpoint, I suppose, is that all humans have a desire for power and that men are more physically capable of demanding it in the sense that they tend to be stronger, larger, and more physically aggressive than women. I've going to start with a collection of anthropological studies, not all of them specific to gender.

So far on my list are:
The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir
Writing Women's Worlds, Lila Abu-Lughod
The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan
The Western Illusion of Human Nature, Marshall Sahlins

I'm sure there are tons of others that may be more useful than these, but I want to read a few of the books and writings that were most transformative for the field before I delve into more specific readings.