poenaestante's review
4.0
"...giving support to women's ire, knowledge and freedom movement is the greatest display of comradeship and a value of humanity. ... The 21st century shall be the century of women's liberation." Finally a man who talks good sense. This was a great first Öcalan book. I look forward to reading and being further inspired by more of his writings.
chalicotherex's review
3.0
The ultimate victory of democratic society is only possible with woman. Peoples and women have been devastated by classed society ever since the Neolithic Age. They will now, as the pivotal agents of the democratic breakthrough, not only take revenge on history, but they will form the required anti-thesis by positioning themselves to the left of the rising democratic civilisation. Women are truly the most reliable social agents on the road to an equal and libertarian society. In the Middle East, it is up to the women and the youth to ensure the anti-thesis needed for the democratisation of society.
Okay, let me see if I can sum this up. Live from Imrali Island Prison in the Sea of Marmara, Öcalan writes:
1. Woman's enslavement and the masking of this fact is responsible for all subsequent forms of enslavement, as well as hierarchical and statist power.
2. Patriarchy has not always existed. Women's enslavement arose in the late neolithic, in what the author calls the first of three sexual ruptures. At the time, society was matriarchal, and a 'primitive socialism' existed. Limited surpluses were shared out among community members and excessive accumulation was seen as bad (think of gift economies). But then better hunting techniques lead to larger surpluses, put an emphasis on male hunting over female gathering, increased need for the male to defend the community, commodification of the surpluses, and ultimately an alliance between the 'strong man' and the 'shaman'. This power disparity increased as human's urbanized and Öcalan traces the ways it's reinforced by Sumerian myth.
3. The second sexual rupture was the rise of monotheism. "Women no longer had any social role bar being the woman of her house ... the public sphere was totally closed off to her." He traces the role the three Abrahamic religions had in creating this state. Öcalan points out that in the West, this took the form of monogamy for most and celibacy for some, while in the Middle East, polygamy developed. He says that the West's sexual restraint lead to modernity and the surpassing of the Middle East, but both ways are ultimately stagnant in terms of overcoming the sexist society. Both lead to 'dynastic ideology' where man sees his house as a small castle in which he's king, and in which having many male children is encouraged.
4. Öcalan outlines the ways in which marriage and the family are enslavement for women, and says:
5. The status of the Kurds is unique in that premature statehood would have caused their elimination, thus they've lived aspects of a semi-nomadic life since the time of the Hittites. This allowed them to retain more aspects of the old matriarchal, tribal culture and it's why Kurds have a strong sense of the need for freedom. As more states were established around them, Kurds strengthened their tribal structures and lived a semi-guerrilla lifestyle. Capitalist ruling and exploitative classes have not been able to develop. While women have a more prominent role than in other Middle East societies, the family structure has been crushed and women bear the brunt of this. The only solution is to democratize society. This is why women have flocked to the PKK: to fight not only the colonialism imposed upon the Kurds but also the internal feudalism of society. #delistpkk #freeocalan
6. Capitalism is bad. (It's hard to follow Öcalan's train of thought here because it's bad in a lot of ways). Also, the economy has been taken from women: domestic work and child bearing aren't valued.
7. The third and final sexual rupture is to kill the dominant male ideology. Though male dominance is institutionalized, men too are enslaved. "The fundamental question is why man is so jealous, dominant and villainous where woman is concerned; why he continues to play the rapist. ... He fears that abandoning the role of the dominant male figure would leave him in the position of the monarch who has lost his state." This is because man is a system:
8. Women's freedom thus demands a struggle against hierarchy and statism. Western feminism is useless because it doesn't have a strong organizational base, can't develop its philosophy in full, can't relate to a militant women's movement and can't break the limitations of democracy set by the west. However, it is still the most serious movement to have addressed the issue of women's freedom. What's needed is a movement based on the science of women: what the Kurdish call Jineologi. It must have analytical, ethical, aesthetic and economic aspects to it. The level of women's freedom determines the levels of freedom and equality in all aspects of society. "Thus, democratisation of woman is decisive for the permanent establishment of democracy and secularism." There is a need for women's freedom parties (is that what Tev-dem is?). We must build alternative academic units which prioritize economy, technology, ecology, agriculture, democratic politics, security and defence, history, science, philosophy, religion and arts. A strong academic cadre is needed to build a democratic modernity.
Okay, let me see if I can sum this up. Live from Imrali Island Prison in the Sea of Marmara, Öcalan writes:
1. Woman's enslavement and the masking of this fact is responsible for all subsequent forms of enslavement, as well as hierarchical and statist power.
2. Patriarchy has not always existed. Women's enslavement arose in the late neolithic, in what the author calls the first of three sexual ruptures. At the time, society was matriarchal, and a 'primitive socialism' existed. Limited surpluses were shared out among community members and excessive accumulation was seen as bad (think of gift economies). But then better hunting techniques lead to larger surpluses, put an emphasis on male hunting over female gathering, increased need for the male to defend the community, commodification of the surpluses, and ultimately an alliance between the 'strong man' and the 'shaman'. This power disparity increased as human's urbanized and Öcalan traces the ways it's reinforced by Sumerian myth.
3. The second sexual rupture was the rise of monotheism. "Women no longer had any social role bar being the woman of her house ... the public sphere was totally closed off to her." He traces the role the three Abrahamic religions had in creating this state. Öcalan points out that in the West, this took the form of monogamy for most and celibacy for some, while in the Middle East, polygamy developed. He says that the West's sexual restraint lead to modernity and the surpassing of the Middle East, but both ways are ultimately stagnant in terms of overcoming the sexist society. Both lead to 'dynastic ideology' where man sees his house as a small castle in which he's king, and in which having many male children is encouraged.
4. Öcalan outlines the ways in which marriage and the family are enslavement for women, and says:
"If the family continues to maintain its strength in contrast to other faster-dissolving social bonds, this is because it is the only available social shelter. We should not discount family. If soundly analysed, family can become the mainstay of democratic society. Not only the woman but the whole family should be analysed as the stem cell of power; if not, we will leave the ideal and implementation of democratic civilisation without its most important element. Family is not a social institution that should be overthrown. But it should be transformed. The claim of ownership over woman and children, handed down from the hierarchy, should be abandoned. Capital (in all its forms) and power relations should have no part in the relationship of couples. Breeding of children as motivation for sustaining this institution should be abolished. The ideal approach to male-female association is one that is based on the freedom philosophy, devoted to moral and political society. Within this framework, the transformed family will be the most robust assurance of democratic civilisation and one of the fundamental relationships within that order. Natural companionship is more important than official partnership. Partners should always accept the other’s right to live alone. One cannot act in a slavish or reckless manner in relationships."
5. The status of the Kurds is unique in that premature statehood would have caused their elimination, thus they've lived aspects of a semi-nomadic life since the time of the Hittites. This allowed them to retain more aspects of the old matriarchal, tribal culture and it's why Kurds have a strong sense of the need for freedom. As more states were established around them, Kurds strengthened their tribal structures and lived a semi-guerrilla lifestyle. Capitalist ruling and exploitative classes have not been able to develop. While women have a more prominent role than in other Middle East societies, the family structure has been crushed and women bear the brunt of this. The only solution is to democratize society. This is why women have flocked to the PKK: to fight not only the colonialism imposed upon the Kurds but also the internal feudalism of society. #delistpkk #freeocalan
6. Capitalism is bad. (It's hard to follow Öcalan's train of thought here because it's bad in a lot of ways). Also, the economy has been taken from women: domestic work and child bearing aren't valued.
7. The third and final sexual rupture is to kill the dominant male ideology. Though male dominance is institutionalized, men too are enslaved. "The fundamental question is why man is so jealous, dominant and villainous where woman is concerned; why he continues to play the rapist. ... He fears that abandoning the role of the dominant male figure would leave him in the position of the monarch who has lost his state." This is because man is a system:
the male has become a state and turned this into the dominant culture. Class and sexual oppression develop together; masculinity has generated ruling gender, ruling class, and ruling state. When man is analysed in this context, it is clear that masculinity must be killed.
Indeed, to kill the dominant man is the fundamental principle of socialism. This is what killing power means: to kill the one-sided domination, the inequality and intolerance. Moreover, it is to kill fascism, dictatorship and despotism.
8. Women's freedom thus demands a struggle against hierarchy and statism. Western feminism is useless because it doesn't have a strong organizational base, can't develop its philosophy in full, can't relate to a militant women's movement and can't break the limitations of democracy set by the west. However, it is still the most serious movement to have addressed the issue of women's freedom. What's needed is a movement based on the science of women: what the Kurdish call Jineologi. It must have analytical, ethical, aesthetic and economic aspects to it. The level of women's freedom determines the levels of freedom and equality in all aspects of society. "Thus, democratisation of woman is decisive for the permanent establishment of democracy and secularism." There is a need for women's freedom parties (is that what Tev-dem is?). We must build alternative academic units which prioritize economy, technology, ecology, agriculture, democratic politics, security and defence, history, science, philosophy, religion and arts. A strong academic cadre is needed to build a democratic modernity.
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