Annine van der Meer, Ph.D., is a Dutch historian of religion. Among her books is The Language of MA the Primal Mother: The Evolution of the Female Image in 40,000 Years of Global Venus Art
Over the course of more than 40,000 years, there have been millions of statues representing female figures created - and found - around the world. Dutch scholar Annine van der Meer, founder of the Pan Sofia Institute, collected many of their images and unravelled what she and other scholars have determined was - and in places still is - a ritual connecting generations of mothers with their ancestors and clan mothers. She mocks the conclusions of archaeologists that these are sex symbols or mere portraits, and calls for them to consult with anthropologists such as Maria Gimbutas. References to images of body parts use only formal language.
Interview by Mindy Ran; WINGS series editor, Frieda Werden,
WINGS: Women's International News Gathering Service has been covering the global women's movement and related issues for community radio since 1986. Contact: wings@wings.org
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