An understanding of author Oyeronke Oyewumi’s chapter titled: (Re)constituting the Cosmology and Sociocultural Institutions of Oyo-Yoruba.
Gender roles can often be seen these days as an identifying factor or the variable which determines a person’s involvement in their surroundings. In her book, Oyewumi discusses the importance of gender neutrality when it comes to addressing specific gender and how this affects the social fabric of our society. The analysis is presented using the case of the Yoruba society prior its colonization, which provides ample evidence to support the main argument.
Oyewumi states that in the current world, there is a clear-cut distinction between men and women. “Binarily” ranking gender not only implies but also results in male privilege in the society. As a result, there is a rise in the subordination of the female gender.
The primary concept that the chapter examines is the theory that gender segregations, according to the societal norms, create a hierarchy. It also elevates a group to a superior status, which was well established in our society long ago. In the case of the Yoruba society, the post colonization gave birth to the concept that gender is timeless and universal; it also catalyzed the implementation of this idea. This implies that the gender divider is an essential part of the society, which contradicts with the author’s primary argument. But this goes on to prove the her claim that the colonization by the West was the primary contributor towards this cause.
Prior to the arrival of Western colonizers, the concept of gender was not present in the Yoruba society. Oyewumi focuses on the pre-colonial era in the reading. In the absence of gender role, social duties in the Yoruba society were assigned based on an individual’s age. Respect in this community was either assigned or earned through seniority. The senior member of the community served as a leading figure role, regardless of their gender. Age, rather than the gender became a crucial factor in the operations of the social structure in Yoruba.
Over the course of the chapter, author Oyewumi suggests that the social categorization of individuals as men and women was initiated and propagated solely by the West. The Western ideas of gender, on the other hand, are constructed on the basis that physical bodies are social bodies. Therefore, physical bodies are emblematic of their role at the societal level, naturally leading to a categorization.
The author attempts to argue against the claim that physical bodies are social bodies. Oyewumi claims that the concept of “gender as dichotomous discourse” was created due to “body reasoning” and “bio-logic” interpretations of the society. For example, the Yoruba society as mentioned in the chapter uses or previously used non-gender specific words. In this mode of language, the corresponding word for “humans” was “Eniyan.”
The author proceeds to introduce the concepts of “okunrin” and “obirin” which are utilized by the Yoruba community. Oyewumi notes that these words are meant to describe humans but by no means are they used in the same sense as the English words “male” or “female.” Consequently, conceptual gender determinants were a product created by the west. The terms obirin and okunrin distinguish between individuals, based on their reproduction role and not gender. This physiological method differentiation does not hint at any hierarchy between the two genders. Instead, it only suggests the participants involved in intercourse or procreation. Oyewumi mentions, “Essentialism makes it impossible to confine biology to one realm. The social world, therefore, cannot truly be socially constructed” (p. 35).
This social construction creates a problem within feminist movements. They refused to accept conservative ideas and went on to prove that the binary nature of sex is merely a social construct. Feminist movements which attempted to contest the pre-dominantly male discourse regarded any differences between normative genders are a fabrication. Creating distinctions between male and female undermines the notion of bearing a child.
Oyewumi argues that the women giving birth are given less attention than they might need. It is also likened to the variation of body hair between men and women. Therefore, the author believes that feminist ideas are also riddled with problems. The aspect of childbirth is given highest level respect in the Yoruba society. Mothers in labor kneel to portray “the human submission to the will of the divine” (p. 38).
The author writes, “The frame of reference of any society is a function of the logic of its culture as a whole” (p. 39). Therefore, pointing out that the social construct of gender as it was created and shaped over time as a primary contributor in creating and instilling segregation. These meaningless interpretations and its failure are prominently evident through humans and the segregation which currently exists between individuals of any given society through gender roles. In conclusion, the key takeaway is that gender roles as a concept were introduced and idealized by the West.
