Sherry Ortner

The 'gender system' is a complex and dynamic set of ideas, practices, and institutions that shape how gender is understood and enacted in a society.

Feminist anthropology seeks to challenge patriarchal assumptions and to give voice to women's experiences.

The 'cultural construction of nature' is a crucial concept for understanding how societies interpret and interact with their environment.

Rituals are not simply symbolic acts, but powerful mechanisms for shaping social reality and individual experience.

The 'ethnographic present' is a problematic concept, as cultures are constantly changing and adapting.

Anthropology must engage with contemporary social issues and contribute to a more just and equitable world.

The study of 'subaltern' groups is essential for understanding the complexities of power and resistance.

The 'politics of representation' is crucial in anthropology, as ethnographers must be mindful of how they portray the people they study.

The 'body' is not just a biological entity, but a site of cultural meaning and social control.

The 'everyday' is a rich source of anthropological data, revealing the subtle ways in which culture is lived and reproduced.

The universal subordination of women, which I believe does exist, is closely tied to the symbolism of culture itself.

Women are identified with nature and men with culture.

Culture, in the sense of the universal human capacity to culture, consists of the interplay between culture (a structure) and social action (the practice).

Practice is the arena in which cultural forms are realized in action.

Gender is a cultural construction, but one that is deeply embedded in the structures of power.

The subordination of women is not a cultural universal in the sense of being the same everywhere, but it is a universal in the sense that it exists in some form in every known society.

Anthropology must engage with the politics of representation.

Culture is not a static thing; it is produced and reproduced through everyday practices.

The key to understanding gender lies in the concept of hierarchy.

In every society, there is a culturally constructed opposition between nature and culture.