essay

The power of weakness

key issues in hunter-gather research • Oxford [England] • Published In 1994 • Pages:

By: Sharp, Henry S..

Abstract

In this paper, Sharp interprets the behavior surrounding a marital dispute in terms of gender complimentarity, rather than male dominance. The dispute is between a husband, who pours himself a drink, and his wife, who quickly runs to the home of her children and has a fit. The husband puts the bottle away when his children intercede. His wife then recovers. According to Sharp the wrong interpretation would be to see the wife as reacting to a pattern of marital abuse. Rather Sharp interprets the wife's performance as an effective exercise of power. By displaying her vulnerability, the wife is attempting to reassert the protective and productive role of the husband, which his drinking threatens to undermine. Such a round about way of influencing another person's behavior is typical in a society in which direct intervention is considered a violation of one's personal integrity. This document contains the 48-page bibliography for the collected volume "Key Issues in Hunter-Gatherer Research."

HRAF PubDate

2000

Region

North America

Sub Region

Arctic and Subarctic

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 1999

Field Date

Not Specified

Coverage Date

not Specified

Coverage Place

Black Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada

Notes

Henry S. Sharp

Includes bibliographical references (p. )

LCCN

93018011

LCSH

Chipewyan Indians