The tradition they’ve been sold by their new leaders isn’t a return to the old days. Instead, it is a tradition that has been deliberately refitted to suit the needs of those in charge. They’re not looking to bring back the past as it really was. What they’re doing is using the past to strengthen their hand in the present. And this form of control—tinged with expedience and hypocrisy—is one of the enduring themes of patriarchal power.
