The Gender Construction And Distinctions Essay - 1186 Words

Perdue’s topic is the gender construction and distinctions in Cherokee Indian society, the traditional roles that women played and how cultural progression affected them specifically. Cherokee women lived in a world that was disrupted by trade and war which resulted in a shifting for both male and female roles in their community. With the arrival of Europeans, the significance of trade and warfare, men became the focus of clan livelihood thereby brining about changes in the traditional matrilineal kinship structure of native lifestyles creating a profound effect on women and their status. Women were traditionally equated with â€Å"Mother Earth† being the giver and sustainer of life, as such, they held a profound connection to family and the land. They were primarily responsible for households, children, and agricultural endeavors which their people depended on to survive. Native communities’ economic base was agriculture. This gave them considerable power and prestige within their respective clans. However, as the â€Å"civilizers† intently placed Cherokee men in a more patriarchal position in the areas of economic and political roles, women’s position of power, prestige and autonomy declined. 3. The main theme in Perdue’s work is of Cherokee women’s cultural persistence during the â€Å"civilization† period. She paints a convincing picture to show how Cherokee women showed â€Å"remarkable cultural persistence† (pg. 186), in the face of the ever changing times and non-nativeShow MoreRelatedDistinction Between Sex And Gender1740 Words   |  7 Pages distinction between sex and gender be defined? In discussing whether the distinction between sex and gender can be defined I am going to use the early distinction between the two and how this has been socially constructed to identify if there is a distinction. 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