Resisting Patriarchy and Redefining Matriarchy: A Study of Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel

Abstract

Matriarchy gives central role of political leadership & moral authority to women. It is a society where the woman is given a role which is much beyond her role as a mother figure in the community. Historically the term patriarchy was used to refer to autocratic rule by the male head of the family however in modern times it more generally refers to social system in which power is primarily held by an adult man. The paper aims to give a brief glimpse of different societies of the world & further gives us a better understanding of the conflict that has ever been prevalent in different cultures of the world. The paper puts into picture different matriarchies that still exist today which proves the fact that patriarchy has neither at all times nor ever been the only form of society. At the same time, the existence of matriarchal societies in our time or survival within the patriarchies point towards the danger of continuous patriarchalization of still existing or newly formed matriarchal social relations. The paper presents the path of resistance adopted by the women in so called patriarchal set up, where she instead of accepting the things, questions, demands and fights for her own self rather than facing multiple oppressions.