Alice Evans
draliceevans.bsky.social
Alice Evans
@draliceevans.bsky.social
Visiting Associate Professor at Stanford University
Writing "The Great Gender Divergence"

Substack: www.ggd.world
What are the origins of patriarchy?

(Or is that the wrong question...?)

Writing my book, cross-legged on the floor, scraping clues & fragments from every continent, till I cobble together the mosaic. 🧩🗺️
November 4, 2025 at 8:41 PM
As China’s exports come up against trade barriers, they’re offloading & flooding other countries.

🇮🇩 factories have increasingly closed - exacerbating a prior trend of automation, de-industrialisation, & stalled development.

By Jon Emont,
Ft @drodrik.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/world/asia/t...
August 2, 2025 at 12:42 PM
It was such a treat to be on CNN with the fantastic Fareed Zakaria - who was incredibly kind & insightful!
July 31, 2025 at 7:58 PM
3 patriarchs huddle, each glorifies a distinct ideology:

1) says men are more intelligent.

2) claims that female seclusion is necessary for heaven.

3) rejects reproductive freedoms.

Which patriarchal ideology proves most resilient in the 21st century?
July 27, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Patriarchy persists in cultural enclaves that legitimise and naturalise inequalities - when it is the air we breathe.

Technological connectivity can be radically disruptive, enabling ideological persuasion.

Have I tagged all the feminist bestsellers here in Yogya? 📚
July 26, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Thank you so much to all my friends in Indonesia for being so incredibly hospitable, generous & informative!

This trip has radically advanced my understanding of 🇮🇩 schooling, religious syncretism, nationalism, & gender.

Here’s me looking like I have just heard MAJOR gossip. 👀
July 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Indonesia’s cultural syncretism - celebrated in wedding photography:

- 3 pins in her hair (cunduk mentul)
- sarongs
- ceremonial dagger (keris)

- guardian deities are wrapped in black-white checked cloth to honour their sacred power

- Islamic hijab
July 24, 2025 at 10:13 AM
A fundamental part of the Enlightenment was the belief that a human mind is NOT a fixed state,

We are all capable of reason, logic, & imagination,

But in many environments, this is suffocated and suppressed,

Not least by back-breaking drudgery.
July 24, 2025 at 12:08 AM
As someone who has seen how a liberal education can dramatically transform a young person’s mind

- catalysing creativity and curiousity -

I always think of this unrealized potential and untapped talent.
July 24, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Indonesia is truly beautiful,

But it’s striking to see so little mechanisation of agriculture. Whether I visit tobacco, rice, or fish farms, much is still done by hand.

So many potentially brilliant minds still trapped in drudgery - “Lost Einsteins”.
July 24, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Yogya is gloriously vibrant, it’s such a pleasure to see Prambanan temple, Borobodhur, as well as Indonesians Muslims’ pride & enjoyment of this beautiful heritage.

Also recommended: a ginormous hat.
July 21, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Welcome to Yogya, where pink hijabis carefully choreograph a tiktok performance in front of a 9th century Hindu temple. 🇮🇩❤️
July 20, 2025 at 11:59 PM
The village chief is generously taking me on a big trip up river! 🐟🐠
July 18, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Pop quiz for you and your AI:

Where am I?
What’s the building on the left?
What does it tell us?
July 17, 2025 at 8:58 AM
“What book should people read to understand gender equality?” asks Lavina

“Romantic fiction!”, I suggest 😀
July 14, 2025 at 12:08 PM
“All good?”, asks my mother

“Oh yes, my friend is taking me on a motorbike tour of mosques and holy shrines!” 🏍️ 🇮🇩🕌
July 14, 2025 at 11:02 AM
“How can men support women?”

Or let me rephrase the question, “How do culture & institions shape men’s proclivity to support women?”

Lavina (my Acehenese RA) interviewed me for her podcast! 🇮🇩
July 14, 2025 at 1:34 AM
“Nongkrong” is Indonesian slang for hanging out.

It means relaxing with friends, with no specific agenda.

If you search for “Nongkrong”, you’ll get a bunch of cafes.

Predicated on a culture of permissibility, where women can loiter with male & female friends 😀☕️
July 12, 2025 at 11:24 PM
If ever you read anything by me on Aceh 🇮🇩, know that it is indebted to the wonderful *Lavina*

She introduced me to mechanics, traders, religious teachers, nurses, police officers, & students

Lavina helped me learn so much about what’s driving gender equality

I am grateful 🫶
July 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
My research assistant is truly fantastic, and is also an Indonesian influencer, with 100k followers on Instagram

And she kindly let me ask her followers about their favourite books! 📚
July 11, 2025 at 3:34 PM
A local women’s group recently organised an event where they all brought and discussed their favourite books

Books unlock a portal to another world 🗺️
July 11, 2025 at 4:19 AM
We went to a little deserted beach, absolutely stunning, with a marvellous little library.

In chalk, there are two quotes celebrating the special wonder that are libraries

Anyone can borrow a book, leapfrogging to another dimension 🚀
July 11, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Many have highlighted the decline of reading in Europe & the U.S.

This also matters for gender equality worldwide

📚 transport us to another perspective, empathizing with someone else’s struggles, seeing alternatives, thinking differently

Photos from Aceh
July 11, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Morning stroll in beautiful Aceh 🇮🇩
July 11, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Thank you to Lavina, for interviewing me on her podcast! #Aceh 🇮🇩❤️
July 9, 2025 at 1:44 PM