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Johann Jakob Bachofen: Biography, Facts and Career

Who is Johann Jakob Bachofen? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

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Johann Jakob Bachofen
Jenny Burckhardt via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Johann Jakob Bachofen (22 December 1815 – 25 November 1887) was a Swiss antiquarian, jurist, philologist, anthropologist, and professor of Roman law at the University of Basel from 1841 to 1844. Bachofen is most often connected with his theories surrounding prehistoric matriarchy, or Das Mutterrecht, the title of his seminal 1861 book Mother Right: an investigation of the religious and juridical character of matriarchy in the Ancient World. Bachofen assembled documentation demonstrating that motherhood is the source of human society, religion, morality, and decorum. He postulated an archaic "mother-right" within the context of a primeval Matriarchal religion or Urreligion. Bachofen became an important precursor of 20th-century theories of matriarchy, such as the Old European culture postulated by Marija Gimbutas from the 1950s, and the field of feminist theology and "matriarchal studies" in 1970s feminism.

Quick facts about Johann Jakob Bachofen

  • Full name: Johann Jakob Bachofen
  • Born: 1815-12-22
  • Nationality: Switzerland
  • Known as: Author
  • Wikidata ID: Q123861

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Johann Jakob Bachofen?

Johann Jakob Bachofen (22 December 1815 – 25 November 1887) was a Swiss antiquarian, jurist, philologist, anthropologist, and professor of Roman law at the University of Basel from 1841 to 1844. Bachofen is most often connected with his theories surrounding prehistoric matriarchy, or Das Mutterrecht, the title of his seminal 1861 book Mother Right: an investigation of the religious and juridical character of matriarchy in the Ancient World.

What nationality is Johann Jakob Bachofen?

Johann Jakob Bachofen is Switzerland.

When was Johann Jakob Bachofen born?

Johann Jakob Bachofen was born on 1815-12-22.

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