Re: Four fields and teaching intro courses

Thomas W. Rimkus (trimkus@COMP.UARK.EDU)
Tue, 4 Apr 1995 09:04:52 -0500

On Mon, 3 Apr 1995, Ruby Rohrlich wrote:

> Mike, page 70 of the April AN reports that WGBH Boston PBS announced a
> 6-part series "Discovering Women," with Patty Jo Watson'segment airing
> on April 5 at l0 p.m. ET. The AN writes: "The series is designed to
> encourage young women to consider a career in science by demystifying the
> nature of scientific work and by illustrating the process of becoming a
> scientist. Described by her graduate students as 'the most positive role
> models imaginable,'Watson has found evidence to dispel the myth that
> women are not innovators. Watson and Mary Kennedy (Washington-St.Louis)
> have proposed a provocative new theory about gender roles and the origins
> of azgriculture -- that women, not men, invented farming." It seems to
> me that Darlington said something like that years ago; I wish I
> remembered the name of the book. Was it the Domestication of Plants and
> Animals? Ruby Rohrlich
>
Is it not possible that the invention of farming is the origin of the
"fall from grace" mythology and that this revolution in role assignment
to the sexes developed into patriarchy? It is my understanding that
hunting/gathering societies studied in modern context do not exhibit
patriarchy. Is this true?