34 Circe Salon -- Make Matriarchy Great Again -- Disrupting History

We start the new year with "In Praise of the Goddess"!  This time it's Sekhmet and Bastet. Join us as we explore these powerful divine females and set 2022 ablaze with the spirit of matriarchy!

Join us as we discuss the roles of women in Ancient China with Prof. Ping Yao of  Cal State Los Angeles.  What were gender relations like in Chine before and during the first dynasties (2700 BC - 221 BC)? What kind of roles did they have in governance, education, warfare and marriage?  Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dawn "Sam" Alden co-host. 

Celebrating the centennial of Marija Gimbtutas' birth, the Association for the Study of Women & Mythology held a symposium on her life and works.  "Make Matriarchy Great Again" inspiration and charter member, Vicki Noble, chaired one of the discussions and joins us to talk about the symposium and the celebration of the life of Marija Gimbutas.

They dragged themselves through the streets at dawn and staggered across tenement roofs illuminated just like the men-- but very few of us know the names of these gifted writers.  They were the women of the "Beat" literary movement, The Beat Generation, and their contributions to this period of American writing was vast but unheralded.  Now it's time to say their names and share their work.  Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dawn "Sam" Alden as they talk with Kimberly Rockwell about the Women of the Beat Generation.

We continue our discussion of Naomi Alderman's haunting sci-fi novel, "The Power."  The story of a dystopian future where women rule, in part two we discuss the dark slide into brutality that the women take once their power spreads.

Deliberately erased from history, the story of the women of the Mongol Empire was one of tremendous achievement.  Genghis Khan encouraged equality of the genders and his daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law took advantage of that to great success.  Prof. Jack Weatherford is one of the foremost scholars of Mongol history and a New York Times Best Seller author.  He has recovered the stories of these powerful women and shares the tales of their amazing lives with Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dawn "Sam" Alden. 

Professor Walter Penrose returns to discuss the life and work of one of the most famous literary women in history-- Sappho. 

One of the most original works of the last few decades, Naomi Alderman's "The Power," is a sci-fi dystopian masterpiece.  What sets it apart is that in this dystopia, it is the women who seize control and the men who are in fear.  There is so much to unpack in this wonderful book, that we are going to stretch the discussion over multiple episodes.  Joins Dawn "Sam" Alden and Sean Marlon Newcombe as they discuss "The Power."

Controlling female sexual behavior is one of the foundations of patriarchy.  In cooly efficient Ancient Rome, it was through law, of course, that the restriction of women's sexuality was achieved.  Join us as we explore the history and nature of what have been called "The Julian Laws," a series of legislation in the 1st century BC that were meant to promote "family values" by controlling women's bodies. 

Join Sean Marlon Newcombe and Dawn "Sam" Alden as they talk with two women in the world of sports: Jill Morely, a former professional boxer and Emily Halpern, a former professional basketball player (and current jiu-jitsu black belt). What are the challenges that sportswomen face today?  Are distorted notions of femininity still affecting how we perceive women who devote their focus to athletic pursuits?  Women have been athletes for thousands of years, but what is the state of women's sports today?Join us for a very revealing and eye-opening episode!Please check out Jill's women boxing web site:https://www.flagboxingla.com/