Riane Eisler

1987
http://www.partnershipway.org/
Sex, Myth, and Politics--An Interview with Riane Eisler (Scott London)
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Using new archeological evidence and more objective interpretation of old evidence, Riane Eisler describes a 1500-year reign of peaceful agrarian Neolithic civilizations which were based on the partnership model, exemplified by Crete. These matrilineal societies worshipped the Goddess, the mother, the source of creation and harmony.

Here was apparently equal distribution of wealth, a fine artistic tradition, and a highly developed infrastructure of roads and irrigation. These societies were finally the objects of wholesale plunder and murder by aggressive invaders who imposed their hierarchical dominance model of society, ruled by the sword and justified by their bloodthirsty and exclusively male Gods. Women were stripped of their priestly and community responsibilities and subjected to the rule of the male. A centuries-long brainwashing process, aided by the successive rewriting of women out of the “sacred” texts, cemented the takeover. 

These are extraordinarily powerful ideas that have been around for many years but have never been absorbed into mainstream thought. "The Da Vinci Code," in my opinion is using some of these ideas to provoke what may become a hysterical reaction rather than to open the discussion in a constructive way.

 

It is one thing to chafe under a social system that does not either effectively ameliorate or control the generally bad behavior of human beings. We might  yearn for a way to live that offers equality for all, and values caretaking and affiliation over personal success at any cost and brutal competition for resources. It's another thing to realize that this is perhaps not just a dream of a “golden age” - but that cultures with these values actually may have flourished at one time. The goal is therefore perhaps not unattainable, but the internal and external forces that want to suppress it are many and powerful. In order to create a world that is safe for women and children and which values our strengths, we need to be willing to understand the degree to which we have been conditioned into collaborating with values that are contrary to our needs, and to defend what is important to us in both our private and our public relationships. 

Beware! This is one of those books that can change your conception of yourself, cause you to see everything from a different perspective, and perhaps lead you to re-evaluate how you want to participate in social conventions.