When the Males Dominated . . .

Contents
Controversies about Hierarchy among Primates
By Vinciane Despret
English

Dominance hierarchy has been the main model of organization in Primates studies. It came to be thought as so universal in Primates that it eventually became the equivalent to social organization. In the beginning of the seventies, the British primatologist Thelma Rowell raises very important critics against the concept of dominance: she suspects that dominance hierarchy is nothing but an artefact. A few years later, Shirley Strum confirms : dominance hierarchy is a myth. This controversial issue will take place in a larger debate raising epistemological and political questions as influence of observers’ gender, power relationships, neutrality of bio-social theories, field methods, effects of observer’s practices on subjects.

Keywords

  • primatology
  • dominance
  • hierarchy
  • gender
  • social organization
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