The Politics of Reproductive Ritual

Jeffery M. Paige, Karen Ericksen Paige

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9780520358089
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780520311732
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Cultural & Social Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

"A welcome addition. They argue that rituals of reproduction in preindustrial societies are essentially political. In these societies, they say, men need to control the reproductive power of women in order to establish political power; where there is no law or central government, ritual is used as a way of gaining control. The type of ritual will vary, they conclude, according to the economic base of the society....for those whoa re interested in the subject, this book is indispensable. Its thesis is challenging and the documentation is excellent. Paige and Paige have mad ean essential contribution to a long debate, and their theory is sure to stir new and lively controversy." --Science DigestThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Tables and Figures
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Reproductive Ritual: A Continuation of Politics by Another Means
• 3. The Dilemma of Menarche: Female Puberty Rites
• 4. Male Circumcision: The Dilemma of Fission
• 5. The Dilemma of Legitimacy: Birth Practices
• 6. Menstrual Restrictions and Sex Segregation Practices
• 7. Summary and Implications for Complex Societies
• APPENDIX ONE. Measures
• APPENDIX TWO. Description of Sample
• APPENDIX THREE. Ethnographic Source Bibliography
• Index