Customer Reviews

The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory: Why An Invented Past Will Not Give Women a Future

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

It seems that there has been a lot of recent confusion about Dr. Eller's books, "The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory" in both its stated objective as well as its scientific accomplishment. This short review is an attempt to rectify and refute any such questions posed by reviewers who didn't seem to understand the aims of this work.

Firstly, it must be understood that Dr. Eller was not out to prove that prehistory was in any way universally patriarchal. Dr. Eller is certainly aware of the many matriarchal, matrilineal and matrifocal prehistorical societies. Rather, this book is an attempt to disprove the "Universal Matriarchy" theory presented by many authors who lack that scholastic ability and scientific methodology to prove or disprove the theory. As such, Dr. Eller doesn't need to address the myriad of "matri" prefixed societies in prehistory, all she needs to do is present a few very well-researched patriarchal societies.

Secondly, Dr. Eller's work is centered around providing solid footing for feminism in the modern context. She seems to believe, and rightly to my thinking, that so long as the majority of spiritual feminist authors rely on unsound claims of a universal matriarchy that they cannot be taken seriously by either the scholastic community or the public at large. By grounding the modern feminist movement in strict scientific methodology, she is attempting to provide a secure footing for further scholarship into the realm of women's studies.

Third and lastly, there also seem to be a lot of attacks, both personal and professional, against Dr. Eller and her work. These often come from the same people who then critique the acidic or condescending tone of her writing style. While objections to her writing style are, of course, the prerogative of the reviewer, accusing Dr. Eller of being mean then attacking her personally and professionally seems hypocritical at best. Though I also found her tone sarcastic, and at times off-putting, this didn't devalue the information presented.

In praise to Dr. Eller's book, many of the reviews already present do great justice. The methodology is sound, the information provocative and the conclusions she comes to are startling. I for one have fond hopes that this book will make great leaps in overcoming the stigma present around scholarly and spiritual feminism both.

The Myth Of Matriarchal Prehistory: Why An Invented Past Won't Give Women A Future examines the evidence for and against the hypothesis of a paleolithic/neolithic matriarchal dominance in human society. Exceptional scholarship combined with articulate writing presents up-to-date archaeologically based commentary scrutinizing the scientific plausibility of matriarch and reveals it to be non-supportive of such a culture. Author and researcher Cynthia Eller goes on to explain why and how the concept of a matriarchal society took root in feminist thought. Eller concludes that the pervasive myth of a prehistorical matriarchy is a continuance of gendered stereotyping. Informative, scholarly, challenging, and iconoclastic, The Myth Of Matriarchal Prehistory is a highly recommended contribution to the fields of cultural anthropology, sociology, and women's studies.

Despite what other reviewers have said about her writing being "rubbish" or otherwise unworthy, Cynthia Eller has done a wonderful job with this book. A skeptic from the beginning of all forms of revisionist history, I found this book to be refreshing, even if I didn't agree with it 100% of the time (but what book do you agree with 100% of the time, particularly if you're a religious scholar?).

Far from saying that feminist mythology is somehow imbued with scurrilous intent, she asserts, as many religious scholars have before her, that mythology need not be true. But she doesn't discount its power or relevance. Rather, she makes us question the fervent approach to a mandate of myth as fact in the feminist community, and does so with aplomb.

I enjoyed reading this book as much for the content as for the questions it raised. I highly recommend this book to anyone familiar or unfamiliar with the debate over pre-history, and to every woman involved in goddess spirituality. It's good to have balance and rational thought mixed in with faith, and this book aids in finding that balance.

Finally, a sensible reexamination of the myth of matriarchal prehistory! I've always been wary of works that proclaim a blissful matriarchal past with women happily worshipping the Goddess until men finally took over. It has always seemed too unrealistic and too easy an explanation for women's status today. Eller explains not only why this history probably isn't valid, but also why it doesn't work that effectively as myth for feminists today. Her book is incredibly well-researched, and her writing style is engaging and amusing. Eller forces feminists to think about the validity and usefulness of this imagined past. I can well imagine that this book will provoke many readers and hopefully convince some. Great pictures as well! I especially liked the t-shirt that says, "I survived five thousand years of patriarchal hierarchies."

_The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory_ is a very interesting expose' of the Matriarchy Myth. You know the one. Everybody lived in perfect peace and harmony, worshipping the Goddess, until the Big Bad Patriarchal Invaders swept in and ruined everything. Cynthia Eller isn't afraid to ask the questions that seem to get swept under the rug by this theory, for example: Where is the evidence for this matriarchy? How did the Big Bad Invaders become patriarchal themselves? Is the idea of a feminine utopia sexist? And why (I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had this question) does everyone think the Venus of Willendorf looks pregnant?

Eller shows that there is little evidence for an ancient matriarchy. There isn't much evidence against it, either; very little decipherable record remains. Goddess-interested researchers tend to see Goddess symbols everywhere. A straight line represents the Goddess. So does a wavy one. (I suppose my own propensity to doodle spiderwebs in the corners of my papers means I'm invoking Arachne every time I make my grocery list.) Eller shows these excesses for what they are, and shows that there is very little proof of the matriarchy theory.

Even more interesting than this, though, is Eller's spotlight on the ideas behind this proposed utopia. Matriarchalists seem to believe that women, merely by virtue of being women, have certain personality traits such as compassion, cooperation, nurturance, pacifism, and a greater connection to emotions and intuition than to logic. And if women ran the world, society would reflect these traits. Eller notices, though many other writers do not, that these "feminine" traits are the same ones ascribed to women in medieval times, or in the Victorian age. Traits that have been used to bring women down. Is it really "feminist" to limit oneself to an archetypal "good mother" role that has been forced on us since antiquity?

Eller instead envisions a society where neither women nor men are exalted simply for being women or men. A society where the sexes are treated equally. Hopefully we can continue striving for this.

Eller's few detractors have missed the point. This book will clear up any lingering desires you may have for the bogus, gift-shop "spirituality" that keeps women trapped into idealized femininity, when what they really want and deserve is knowledge and insight into their own condition. I applaud Eller's dry-eyed analysis (and it is frequently hilarious, too).

"The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory: Why An Invented Past Won't Give Women a Future" is that rarest of things: a scholarly book that is as easy and fun to read as it is informative and profound. I recommend this book without reservation. I just wish all scholarly books were as well-written and socially engaged as this one is.

Cynthia Eller's work was cut out for her. She had to debunk a very popular myth that has given comfort to thousands of women beaten into the mud by misogyny.

Everywhere women turn, they are told that they just aren't as good as men, and, further, that their very status as women makes them frivolous and good for one thing and one thing only: to support and please men, including giving men lots of children.

We've been told that women's status is so debased that she can't function fully as a spiritual being. Even God, who is meant to represent peace, justice, and transcendence, cares so much women's anatomy, that God *him*self discriminates against women, and does not want women in his pulpits. Or, so we are told.

The Goddess Myth -- the idea that "once upon a time" all humanity worshipped a female deity and life was bliss -- came along and offered women salvation from misogyny's most pernicious form, the denigration of women in the eyes of God -- a denigration that paves the way for, and supports, everything from battery to rape.

Eller has the courage to point out that no matter how good a falsehood makes us feel, it is still a falsehood, and lies have their price.

Eller also manifests the grace and sensitivity to speak these difficult truths with care and concern for women like her who are invested in freedom and dignity for women. She points out the flaws in the Goddess theory with expertise, not with arrogance, cruelty, or mockery.

Eller's command of the scholarship of a variety of fields -- the classics, folklore, archaeology -- is impressive. She introduces the information the non-academic reader needs to know to assess evidence, but she never does this with alienating academic jargon. The average educated reader should have no problem with this quite scholarly text.

Eller does the job of debunking the Goddess myth with admirable thoroughness, but she does more. She writes a fascinating book about ancient peoples and their cultures.

The final word about the Goddess myth has not yet been spoken. Eller's book, given its combination of thoroughness, accessibility, wit, and decent concern for readers with a variety of belief systems, will continue to be a key contribution to the ongoing conversation.

In the past 15 years or so, feminism has developed its own version of Creation Science, a school of crank archaeology that stipulates that the period before written history was a golden age of universal matriarchy and goddess-worship. Humans lived in harmony with the earth and with each other, etc, etc. This lovely situation endured for hundreds of thousands of years, until men suddenly got the upper-hand in a patriarchal revolution, whereafter everything has been just awful.

Such, at least, is the belief of untold thousands of middle-class white women, who also fancy themselves as keepers of the flame for the ancient goddess religion, allegedly passed down throughout the ages in an unbroken underground tradition. The problem is that there's nothing but wishful thinking and self-flattery supporting these ideas, as Cynthia Eller demonstrates in this book. Now, you'd think the natural tone for an author to take on this topic would be satirical; something in the vein of Mark Twain or H.L. Mencken. Cynthia Eller, however, is not a satirist. Her previous book was a sociological study of present-day "feminist spirituality," a movement with which she is largely in sympathy. Consequently, her dismantling of the house of cards that is goddess-centered prehistory, while thorough and utterly persuasive, is also very diplomatic and gentle. I sort of marveled at her forebearance in this regard, given that she's obviously possessed of a first-class skeptical sensibility and wit. There are still some laughs to be had from the quotations of goddess "scholars," many of which are beyond parody. Eller herself admits that this book will probably do little to change the minds of any Wiccan true believers or Wimmin's Studies victims, which makes me wonder why she didn't permit herself to have a little more fun with the topic. But it's still a very entertaining read -- I knocked it off in two sittings.

Cynthia Eller is probably opening herself up to a lot of criticism when she attacks matriarchy, the theory itself and those who argue it. However she does a good job of looking at the evidence on both sides of the issue. This book is best not because of the evidence but because of its understanding of why the theory of matriarchy is so powerful and pulls at so many women (and men, too, though that isn't really the focus of her work). Usually matriarcy is either ignored, rudely dismissed using sexist statements, or happily accepted but Eller's commentary really tries to get to the heart of the controversy without name calling or belittling sides. As a feminist and a scholar, I appreciate her work.

Eller's _Myth_ is a two-pronged attack on a modern sacred cow(-goddess). Her archaeological material is presented with a number of excellent diagrams and images, and her writing on the history and usefulness of the myth itself is well worth the pages spent.

Her tone, unfortunately, may be too antagonistic for those who subscribe to the thesis that she criticizes. Her self-described "cynical mind" seems, in this case, to have prompted her to a level of dismissiveness that could easily interfere with what is otherwise a brisk and interesting read. Eller also descends at times to gross generalization and a very selective reading of her carefully-footnoted sources, two errors which she often criticizes the thesis' proponents of comitting. This can be frustrating, especially when it is tangential to an argument that is itself not especially challenging to support. Eller is at her best when analysing "difference feminism" and the usefulness of the myth to feminism as a whole, contributing a clear and reasoned voice to the dialogue about the role of myth and history in feminist theory and agenda(s).