This "traffic in women" suggests that patriarchal societies are built on men using women as currency to cement bonds with other men.
Title: The Silent Conduit: Homosocial Desire and the Architecture of Men’s Relationships In Between Men
To explain how men navigate these bonds while avoiding the label of "homosexual," Sedgwick utilizes the theory of the . In these structures, two men (often rivals) compete for the affection of one woman. However, the woman is not the primary focus; she serves as a "conduit" or a bridge through which the two men express their intense interest in each other in a socially acceptable way. This "traffic in women" suggests that patriarchal societies