A dawsonian view of patriarchy.(IN DEFENSE OF PATRIARCHY)(Christopher Dawson)(Critical essay) From: Modern Age | Date: September 22, 2007| Author: Young, R.V. | COPYRIGHT 2007 Intercollegiate Studies Institute Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

"Patriarchy" is a word that has almost ceased to communicate a definable meaning in contemporary discourse. Feminist theory deploys the term so loosely that it may be applied to any institution or instance in which men dominate women or are perceived to do so. "Most feminist criticism," Heather Jones avers, "tends to represent the family as the main legacy of this male advantage and therefore as patriarchy's primary model and institution. Consequently patriarchy has been defined in...