Matriarchy in SF: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:28, 28 January 2011

Matriarchy is a form of society in which women are the dominant sex/gender, holding power over men; it is contrasted with patriarchy.

Contrast with patriarchy, in which men are the dominant sex/gender, holding power over women.
Distinguish from matrilineality, in which families trace their lineage through the maternal side.
Distinguish from matrilocality, in which men are exogamous, moving to women's households on marriage.
Compare to woman-only worlds, which are "matriarchal" by definition, since there are no men; however, it is less meaningful to class these worlds/works along the matriarchy/patriarchy binary.

Gill Alderman. The Archivist (A young man is raised from the gutters to participate in, perhaps, a revolution; homosexuality is not feared or disdained, and the young man's mentor is also his lover.)
Donna Allegra. "A Toast of Babatine." Sinister Wisdom #34, Berkeley, CA, 1988. [an egalitarian woman-only society]
Eleanor Arnason. A Woman of the Iron People (1991) and Ring of Swords (1993) [not exactly a matriarchy, because there's very little "archy"; but separate sexed species, and women control most of what we would call civilization]
Catherine Asaro. The Last Hawk

Elizabeth Bear, Carnival (see also MZB's The Ruins of Isis for a structurally similar work)
Thomas Berger. Regiment of Women (Simon & Schuster, 1973) (anti-feminist screed. This man (Berger) is as obsessed with the rightness of penetration by the "protuberant organ" (i swear!) as the general in "Dr. Strangelove" is obsessed with "our precious bodily fluids." -- lq, 6/11/00)
Anne Bishop. Dark Jewels Trilogy. (Theoretically a matriarchy, the old matriarchy is shown as corrupt; a young woman is born who will be the new Queen. Gender differences are essential & good, but women are sort of better or more powerful in some ways.)
Marion Zimmer Bradley. The Ruins of Isis (1978) (Isis is a matriarchy; this book is sort of like The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing crossed with Darkover if the Free Amazons ran Darkover)
Gerd Brantenberg. Egalia's Daughters: A Satire of the Sexes (originally: Egalias døtre) (translated from Norwegian into English by Louis Mackay) [feminist satirical role-reversal]
David Brin. Glory Season (1993) [colonial world; lines of female clones run the society; a few men and non-clone women make their way in the world]

Jayge Carr. Leviathan's Deep (1979)
Joy Chant, When Voiha Wakes (1983) (3rd book in a trilogy)
Jo Clayton. Irsud (1978)
Edmund Cooper. Gender Genocide (1972) (misogynistic)
Parley J. Cooper The Feminists (novel) (1971) (anti-feminist. it's almost a rule: if it uses "the feminists" in the title it is critical.)

Ellison, Harlan. "World of Women" in Fantastic, Feb. 1957. [insane matriarchal ruler must be stopped]

Hall, Sandi. Wingwomen of Hera (1987)
Hossain, Rokeya Sakhawat. "Sultana's Dream" (1905) (a short story in which the Sultana visits Ladyland, where purdah has been reversed to the great benefit of the land)

Moskowitz, Sam, editor. When Women Rule [anthology of matriarchal stories, many of them sexist]

Mack Reynolds. Amazon Planet (1975) [Amazonia presents itself to the universe as a matriarchy, but that's really a front for the planet's actual system -- anarchist experiment with ostensible gender equality.]

B. J. Salterberg The Outlander: Captivity (1989)
Pamela Sargent. The Shore of Women (1986)
Joan Slonczewski, A Door Into Ocean (really an all-woman world/species, but genetically engineered that way, and in confrontation with non-genetically engineered patriarchal humans)

Dathomir in the Star Wars Expanded Universe
The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser: Britomart helps to overturn a gender-reversal society and return things to the "natural" (patriarchal) order
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series includes a number of semi-matriarchal societies
"Angel One" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions" (2004; dir. Carlos Atanes) (a matriarchy governs Europe) [1]

"Samantha Lee's 'Childe Roland' (actually set in some kind of post-disaster Scotland -- Lesley Hall)
something by Storm Constantine the name of which I've forgotten (could it really have been something like 'In the Mother's Country'--or was this something else entirely? -- Lesley Hall);

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 * [[Jo Clayton]]. ''[[Irsud]]'' (1978)
 * [[Edmund Cooper]]. ''[[Gender Genocide]]'' (1972) (misogynistic)
-* [[Parley J. Cooper]] ''[[The Feminists]]'' (1971) (anti-feminist. it's almost a rule: if it uses "the feminists" in the title it is critical.)
+* [[Parley J. Cooper]] ''[[The Feminists (novel)]]'' (1971) (anti-feminist. it's almost a rule: if it uses "the feminists" in the title it is critical.)