On this week’s 51%, we spend time with cultural historian Dr. Riane Eisler, who examines where societies fall on the partnership-domination scale.
Dr. Riane Eisler is an eminent social systems scientist, cultural historian and attorney best known as the author of “The Chalice and The Blade: Our History, Our Future,” which inspired a generation of women and men to envision a truly egalitarian society by exploring the legacy of the peaceful, goddess-worshipping cultures from our prehistoric past. Her newest book, “Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains, Lives, and Future,” is co-authored with anthropologist Douglas Fry.
Her pioneering work in human rights expanded the focus of international organizations to include the rights of women and children. She is cofounder of the Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence (SAIV) and president of the Center for Partnership Studies, in California.
Eisler was born in Vienna, fled from the Nazis with her parents to Cuba, and later emigrated to the United States. She obtained degrees in sociology and law from the University of California, taught pioneering classes on women and the law at UCLA, and now teaches in the graduate Transformative Leadership Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is also an international consultant to businesses and governments on the application of the partnership model introduced in her work.
She has received many honors, and is included in the award-winning book “Great Peacemakers” as one of 20 leaders for world peace, along with Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. I spoke with Eisler about her work, in which there is a theme.
That’s our show for this week. Thanks to Tina Renick for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio
