Both patriarchal and liberatory marriage scripts equally enable and constrain women through savoir-bound power

Evidence

Suppose the savoir or knowing of (exogamous) marriage in a culture for a woman is: a passing from her father’s protection to her husband’s in order to produce women and men to perpetuate this circuit; and finally to pass under her son’s protection. In terms of this savoir, the woman can (peut in the French, from pouvoir) preserve “the stability of marriage” and be loving and loved without being sexy. Suppose on the other hand, exogamous marriage is known as the fulfillment of various kinds of interactive and creative emotive potentials in the woman. In terms of this savoir, the woman can [peut) seek fulfillment elsewhere if, as individually intending subject, she feels her fulfillment thwarted. Both situations are productive—of the stability of marriage on the one hand and of the perceived freedom of women’s fulfillment on the other. There is, of course, felt pain involved in both. But, quite apart from that, there are terminals of resistance inscribed under the level of the tactics, sometimes explicit, with which these women fill their lives. — Donna Landry and Gerald MacLean, The Spivak Reader, 1205

Categorization

• XREF: The two ‘productive’ marriage savoirs mirror the two horns of strategic essentialism — apparent poles that share a productive scaffolding; useful figure for collapse risk. — connects to: Patriarchal marriage domesticated feminine cosmic power into lawful order — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 367; Pious women’s conflicts with authority do not reduce to gender-equality arguments. — Saba Mahmood, Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival…, 121; Marriage annexes women to the husband’s universe — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1109 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Patriarchal marriage domesticated feminine cosmic power into lawful order #expands (0.82) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 367
• Marriage annexes women to the husband’s universe #corroborates (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1109
• A religious view of human action shapes how women survive patriarchy #expands (0.78)
• Women use divine authority to justify power they cannot claim as persons #expands (0.75) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1766
• Pious women’s conflicts with authority do not reduce to gender-equality arguments. #qualifies (0.72) — Saba Mahmood, Politics of Piety, 121
• Patriarchal marriage serves collective interests, not individual love or happiness #expands (0.72) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1132