Gender — and the problem of hierarchy

This article is the product of a focussed reading of Louis Dumont with a view to two particular interests: modernity and the place of gender not only within modern discourse, but also in modern practice. Though polemical in form, the intention is to shed new light on the ongoing debates of gender by addressing them within Dumont's theoretical framework. Starting with some reflections on vantage point and gendered positioning, the author proceeds to discuss the modern notion of the individual, suggesting that the autonomous agent in modern society is the couple. Drawing on both Bateson and Rappaport, she considers the notions of hierarchy, logical scandal and the place of ultimate values in relation to change.