Society blooms on the aspect of
expectations. Every individual in the society has an expected role to play and
duty to perform. This, according to several people, leads towards a systematic
and structured society. But what would we do if such systems and structures are
illiberal, unequal and unjust? Especially, when such structures alienate people
from the reality and keep them in the dark. What would be the case when certain
individuals are on the receiving end of such a system? Thus, before
understanding all these aspects, we need to understand, as to what such
structures or systems are.
Power is the essence of all structures.
And for power to prevail there needs to be a structure, to legitimize it. And
it is through this power, that in a structure, relationships of domination and
submission are established. In such a relationship where one person follows
what the other person wants or how the other person wants which often leads to
exploitation in several cases. A society is divided in two major spaces, mainly
public and private. And power relationships are found in both these spaces. In
the public space or say for e.g. in a state, which is generally a space outside
the household or the personal space, it’s the government that holds the power.
Similarly, in a Private space too, there is a power relationship that exists in
a structure, which is known as Patriarchy. Patriarchy forms the grounding
aspect of one of the most exploitative structures found in a family.
Since time immemorial, patriarchy has been
engrained in all the societies, across nations. In fact, when a child is born,
patriarchy is the first structure that a child is exposed to, because children
are always told that they must obey their father, because he is the head of the
family as well as takes all the responsible decisions. Thus, this becomes the
first level at which a child learns the idea of obedience. Patriarchy is a
structure in the society, where it is understood that it is the man who holds
all the positions of responsibility and power. It is the father, or the elder
most male member of the family who determines the course of action. The power
dynamics in a patriarchal structure is determined by the position of the male
member in a family. Thus, such a structure justifies the domination of a male
member in the family over all other members (including other male members). The
relationships like, husband-wife, father-child etc, all are part of this
structure. It is a biased, domination driven and exploitative structure, which
has been successful in establishing its base in most households.
The story of the Original Sin, St.
Augustine’s Christian doctrine, which becomes the main reason for god to be
above all men, is known to one and all. But it also is an event which saw the
justification of patriarchy in the society. It is the event when Adam ate the
apple, the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden, which was an act of
disobedience of God. Thus, man is irrational and needs god to show him the
path. But what is spoken less about, is the fact that it was Eve who gave Adam
the apple, and thus, women are not rational enough to take decisions, and thus
the man has to control her, who is controlled by god. Thus, if god gives a
command, all will follow it. Similarly, all were supposed to follow the command
of the Man, who got all command from God. Similar such stories have also been
seen in other religious texts and religions like Islam, Hinduism etc.
... To be continued
- Vijayasree V
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