Deconstructing Racism and Sexism in the Envisagement of Western Civilization

Racism and sexism didn’t emerge naturally or accidentally. In this episode, Dr. Roy explains how Western societies constructed rigid hierarchies of gender and race, often in contrast to more egalitarian cultures in the ancient world. He examines how Greek philosophers like Aristotle shaped Western ideas about rationality and superiority, how the Roman Empire institutionalised patriarchy, how Christianity encoded obedience into gender norms, and how modern nationalism fused racism into the fabric of political identity. This lecture offers a clear historical roadmap showing how present-day discrimination evolved over thousands of years.

Takeaways:

• How ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies often included women as leaders, property owners, and warriors.
• Why ancient Greece marked a dramatic shift toward rigid patriarchy and exclusion of women from public life.
• How Aristotle’s ideas on rationality, “natural slaves,” and female inferiority shaped centuries of Western thought.
• The Roman Empire’s adoption of Greek patriarchal norms and the legal structures that cemented male dominance.
• How early Christianity fused obedience, hierarchy, and gender roles into doctrine and social life.
• Why Western Europe associated whiteness with purity and superiority, laying the groundwork for racial hierarchy.
• How the Enlightenment, despite its ideals, linked reason with whiteness and expanded scientific racism.
• The role of nationalism in transforming racism from a prejudice into a political identity.
• How sexism and racism were essential tools for controlling labor, land, and social order across empires.
• Why understanding these origins is essential for dismantling the systems still shaping inequality today.

Resources & References

• The Code of Hammurabi
• The Book of the Dead
• The Politics
• The Republic
• The Allegory of the Cave
• Paul’s Letters

Beyond the podcast: 

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