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Critique of Anthropology
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‘Masculine Domination’

Desire and Chinese Patriliny

P. Steven Sangren

Cornell University, USA

This article reprises 1970s discussions of gender inequality in feminist anthropology to critique contemporary assumptions regarding gender construction, advocating a psycho-cultural explanation for the ubiquity of masculine domination. The currency of what I term ‘culturalist empiricism’, in its emphasis on cultural difference, downplays inquiry into human commonalities with respect to gender and entails questionable assumptions regarding how culture operates to construct. Analysis of Chinese patriliny understood as a ‘mode of production of desire’ provides a case in point toward rethinking how cultures can differ with respect to gender construction without abandoning anthropology’s commitment to comprehending human commonalities. The approach is relevant beyond China’s culturally particular context, and it suggests substantial revision of idealist assumptions regarding anthropology’s object — culture.

Key Words: China • culture • desire • gender • inequality • patriliny

Critique of Anthropology, Vol. 29, No. 3, 255-278 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0308275X09104082
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