Society's Dualistic Approach
Perhaps, with mankind's common practice of trying to categorize the world into black and white, odd and even, tall and short, and a whole host of other things, it should be no surprise that left and right also begin to be classed as another pair of opposites.
What is surprising, however, is how these sets of opposites are linked to one another. For example, societies often divide people into male and female, and sides into right and left. At the same time, though, they almost universally connect masculinity to the right side of the body and femininity to the left.[1,2]
And not just masculine and feminine are linked with the left hand. Cultures as far apart as the Purum, on the Indo-Burman border, and the Gogo in central Tanzania not only connect right and left in general (and the right and left hands in particular) with a whole host of other opposites, the truly amazing thing is that every culture to do so links the same side with the same associations.[1]
For example, among the two cultures mentioned above, the Purum associate the following pairs of opposites in this way:[1]
Right Left
Male Female
East West
Life Death
Odd Even
Back Front
Sacred Profane
North South
Prosperity Famine
Superior Inferior
The Gogo, too, associate right and left very similarly:
Right Left
Male Female
Clean Hand Dirty Hand
Superior Inferior
Clever Stupid
East West
South North
Up Down
Medicine Poison
Although there is not space to conjecture about the reasons for all of these associations, two of the most important are worth investigating.
What is surprising, however, is how these sets of opposites are linked to one another. For example, societies often divide people into male and female, and sides into right and left. At the same time, though, they almost universally connect masculinity to the right side of the body and femininity to the left.[1,2]
And not just masculine and feminine are linked with the left hand. Cultures as far apart as the Purum, on the Indo-Burman border, and the Gogo in central Tanzania not only connect right and left in general (and the right and left hands in particular) with a whole host of other opposites, the truly amazing thing is that every culture to do so links the same side with the same associations.[1]
For example, among the two cultures mentioned above, the Purum associate the following pairs of opposites in this way:[1]
Right Left
Male Female
East West
Life Death
Odd Even
Back Front
Sacred Profane
North South
Prosperity Famine
Superior Inferior
The Gogo, too, associate right and left very similarly:
Right Left
Male Female
Clean Hand Dirty Hand
Superior Inferior
Clever Stupid
East West
South North
Up Down
Medicine Poison
Although there is not space to conjecture about the reasons for all of these associations, two of the most important are worth investigating.
Left and Direction
One of the most common associations of the left versus the right is that the left is usually associated with the north and/or west, while the right is commonly linked with the south and east (a notable exception being Japan; see the language section). Although anthropologists cannot be certain about the reasons for this, the most common guess is that this preference dates back to early religions which closely followed the directions and motions of the sun.[1,2] With societies in the northern hemisphere, the sun would rise in the east and, if one was facing the sun at that time, would then swing right and southwards, before setting in the west.[1,2]
Therefore, simply by observing the direction of the sun, many cultures began to link the right side with warmth and light as well as with the south. Perhaps because these traits were given to the right side, the east also began to commonly associate with the right, as the source of such warmth. At the same time, the left side was given the cold north and the west, places where the sunlight either died or never reached as strongly.[1] Thus, along with directions, the left began to be given a dark and cold connotation as well and those who were left handed began to be suspected of harboring a penchant for those traits.[1] It should be noted that in some cultures, such an association was not necessarily equated with malicious traits. The ancient Celts, for example, considered the darkness, and by extension the left as well, to be the source of magic and life, giving the left a mysterious but positive connotation.[2]
Therefore, simply by observing the direction of the sun, many cultures began to link the right side with warmth and light as well as with the south. Perhaps because these traits were given to the right side, the east also began to commonly associate with the right, as the source of such warmth. At the same time, the left side was given the cold north and the west, places where the sunlight either died or never reached as strongly.[1] Thus, along with directions, the left began to be given a dark and cold connotation as well and those who were left handed began to be suspected of harboring a penchant for those traits.[1] It should be noted that in some cultures, such an association was not necessarily equated with malicious traits. The ancient Celts, for example, considered the darkness, and by extension the left as well, to be the source of magic and life, giving the left a mysterious but positive connotation.[2]
Female Left
Yoga unites left, 'female' side of the body with right 'male' side
Even more surprising than the compass directions associated with right and left are the associations of the left with femininity. Statistically, men are actually more likely to be left handed than females,[1,2] but such a fact has not stopped many cultures from claiming that something about the left is inherently feminine.
As already noted, both the Gogo and the Purum associated left-handedness with the female, but a few other examples might help to illustrate the point: the Hindu god, Shiva, is often depicted as having a female left side of the body while the right side was male, and the ancient mystical Jewish tradition called Kabbalah also linked the left hand pillar of their 'Tree of Life' with femininity.[2]
In theorizing how this came about, most researchers conclude that the somewhat parallel roles of men and women and the right and left hand in many cultures probably contributed significantly. In patriarchal societies, it was perhaps natural the generally clumsy left hand would become linked with the comparative physical weakness of women.[2] With both women and the left hand seen as more passive than their counterparts in many cultures, perhaps it would be natural for the left hand, and eventually the left in general, to be classed with females.
As already noted, both the Gogo and the Purum associated left-handedness with the female, but a few other examples might help to illustrate the point: the Hindu god, Shiva, is often depicted as having a female left side of the body while the right side was male, and the ancient mystical Jewish tradition called Kabbalah also linked the left hand pillar of their 'Tree of Life' with femininity.[2]
In theorizing how this came about, most researchers conclude that the somewhat parallel roles of men and women and the right and left hand in many cultures probably contributed significantly. In patriarchal societies, it was perhaps natural the generally clumsy left hand would become linked with the comparative physical weakness of women.[2] With both women and the left hand seen as more passive than their counterparts in many cultures, perhaps it would be natural for the left hand, and eventually the left in general, to be classed with females.
Citations
- McManus, I. Right Hand, Left Hand. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002. Print.
- Roth, Melissa. The Left Stuff: How the Left-Handed Have Survived and Thrived in a Right-Handed World. New York, NY: M. Evans and Co., 2005. Print.
