The specificity of the Adyghe traditional gender model in the context of classical gender theory

Th e article refl ects the specifi cs of the traditional Adyghe gender in the context of the classical gender model. Th e conditions and reasons for the inapplicability of the classical gender theory to the tradition al gender model of the Adyghe are considered. Th e author considers the historiography of the classical gender theory, formed on the basis of the Western European and American cultural and historical context, and the factors of the formation of the Adyghe gender model in traditional culture, which did not imply opposition between male and female. Th e historical context of the formation of the traditional gender of the Adyghe excluded such phenomena as feminism, women’s emancipation and other main characteristics of classical gender theory. Male (masculine) and female (feminine) in traditional society excluded metaphysical dualism, and were equivalent categories, where female and male substances are equal in value and complementary. It is argued that the religious component played an important role in the development and transformation of gender roles and statuses in traditional society.