Heide Göttner-Abendroth
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Heide Göttner-Abendroth (b. 1941 in Germany) is a German feminist advocating a branch of feminist anthropology known as Matriarchy Studies (also Modern Matriarchal Studies), focussing on the study of matriarchal or matrilineal societies.
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[edit] Life
Göttner-Abendroth was born during World War II, and at the age of 12 escaped from East Germany to West Germany. She has a PhD in philosophy form University of Munich (1973). She became active in second wave feminism from 1976 and came to be considered one of the pioneers of women's studies in West Germany.
Göttner-Abendroth worked as a Reader in philosophy at Munich university for a number of years in the 1970s, but due to her political activism and harsh criticism of her academic work, she saw herself forced to quit her academic career and became an "independent scholar", founding the "International Academy for Modern Matriarchal Studies and Matriarchal Spirituality" (HAGIA) in 1986. She received a scholarship from the University of Bremen in 1992. Her own account of the lack of acceptance of her "Matriarchal Studies" in mainstream academia was published as Die Diskriminierung der Matriarchatsforschung. Eine moderne Hexenjagd "the discrimination of Matriarchal Studies - a modern witch-hunt" in 2003.[1]
Göttner-Abendroth was named among the "1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe" in 2005.[2]
[edit] HAGIA
Göttner-Abendroth's "International Academy for Modern Matriarchal Studies and Matriarchal Spirituality" (HAGIA) was founded in 1986 It aims at going beyond cultural studies, including artistic and spiritual aspects, organizing "Matriarchal Mystery Festivals" as a "symbolic anticipation of a potential future matriarchal society". [3]
[edit] Matriarchal Studies
"Modern Matriarchal Studies" stands in the tradition of 1970s second wave feminism, pioneered by Merlin Stone's When God Was a Woman. Feminist theories of matriarchy remained current throughout the 1970s, and in German scholarship during the 1980s. Göttner-Abendroth has continued to publish on the topic into the 2000s, and has organized two "World Congresses on Matriarchal Studies", in 2003 and 2005.
Göttner-Abendroth defines "Modern Matriarchal Studies" as the "investigation and presentation of non-patriarchal societies", and "matriarchies" as "non-hierarchical, horizontal societies of matrilineal kinship", effectively defining "matriarchy" as "non-patriarchic matrilineal societies". Göttner-Abendroth's definition, a matriarchal society is synonymous to an "egalitarian and peaceful society". Such societies aren't described as "matriarchal" in mainstream anthropology, but as matrilineal. Mainstream anthropology considers "male dominance in the public or political realm" a human cultural universal[4] and has abandoned the 19th century notion of "primitive" matriarchies in favour of discusison of matrilineality and matrilocality, forms of societies that are actually on record. Göttner-Abendroth defends this departure from the usual meaning of the -archy suffix as using it in its etymological meaning of ἀρχή "beginning", according to which "matriarchy" would not mean "rule of mothers" but "at the beginning the mothers".[5]
The 2003 "World Congress on Matriarchal Studies" was held in Luxembourg, the 2005 congress was held in the USA under the title of "Societies of Peace", sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Gift Economy in Austin, Texas.
[edit] Bibliography
- The Goddess and Her Heros. Matriarchal Religion in Mythology, Fairy-Tales and Poetry. Anthony Publishing Company, Stow USA 1995. (Die Göttin und ihr Heros – a study in matriarchal religion, Verlag Frauenoffensive, Munich 1980-1997.)
- The Dancing Goddess. Principles of a Matriarchal Aesthetic. Beacon Press, Boston USA 1991. (Die tanzende Göttin Verlag Frauenoffensive, Munich 1982-2001.)
- Für die Musen, Verlag Zweitausendeins, Frankfurt 1988-1999.
- Für Brigida, Verlag Zweitausendeins, Frankfurt 1998 and 2000.
- Das Matriarchat, vol I, history of research on matriarchy, Verlag Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1988-1995;
- Das Matriarchat, vol II 1, contemporary matriarchal societies in East Asia, Indonesia, Oceania, Verlag Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1991 und 1999;
- Das Matriarchat, vol II 2, contemporary matriarchal societies in America, India, Africa Verlag Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2000.
- Inanna. Gilgamesch. Isis. Rhea, Verlag Ulrike Helmer, Königstein 2004.
- Fee Morgane. Der Heilige Gral, Verlag Ulrike Helmer, Königstein 2005.
- Frau Holle. Das Feenvolk der Dolomiten, Verlag Ulrike Helmer, Königstein 2005.
- Matriarchat in Südchina – matriarchy in South China, Verlag Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1998; film documentary: Im Matriarchat der Mosuo – matriarchy of the Mosuo, Academy Hagia, 1993.
- with Kurt Derungs, Matriarchate als herrschaftsfreie Gesellschaften (1997) ISBN 9783905581010
[edit] References
- ^ Werlhof Claudia von et al., Die Diskriminierung der Matriarchatsforschung. Eine moderne Hexenjagd. Edition Amalia, Berne (2003).
- ^ "Heide Göttner-Abendroth". 1000peacewomen.org. http://www.1000peacewomen.org/typo/index.php?id=14&L=1&WomenID=388. Retrieved on 2008-11-19.
- ^ "These festivals present an artistic expression and a symbolic anticipation of a potential future matriarchal society. This is not merely an intellectual process but a holistic one: an authentic new creation of a part of matriarchal culture in this present day, and Heide Göttner-Abendroth regards this spiritual part of her work as complementary to and on par with the scientific part." "Heide Göttner-Abendroth". 1000peacewomen.org. http://www.1000peacewomen.org/typo/index.php?id=14&L=1&WomenID=388. Retrieved on 2008-11-19.
- ^ Donald Brown (1991) Human Universals. Philadelphia, Temple University Press (online summary).
- ^ "Both the spiritual and the scientific aspects of her work have been severely attacked and distorted. She never used evasive terms for her research, but called the matter by its real name: Matriarchy, in the sense of 'at the beginning the mothers,' (Greek: arché = beginning)." "Heide Göttner-Abendroth". 1000peacewomen.org. http://www.1000peacewomen.org/typo/index.php?id=14&L=1&WomenID=388. Retrieved on 2008-11-19.. Greek ἀρχή has the double meaning of "beginning, origin" and "rule, dominion". The -archy suffix however originates with -ἀρχία, which has the meaning of "leadership, rule" exclusively, as in ἀν-αρχία "lack of a leader, lawlessness, anarchy".
