women ender and family in chinese history
TRANSCRIPT
WOMEN,GENDER andFAMILY IN CH INESE HISTORY
GENDER RELATIONS INAncient CHINA: SOME GENERALIZATIONS
¢ differentandseparatesocialrolesexistedformenandwomen
¢ Strong division between men’s and women’s social spheres
¢ GenderstratiCicationmorepronouncedamongupper-class,urbanpeople• Genderdivisionslessrigidinimpoverishedruralareas• Familiesthatstruggledtosurvivemobilizedbothmenandwomenforagriculturallaborandvariouspeasanthouseholdtasks
SOCIAL CONTEXT OF GENDER RELATIONS:FAMILY AS PRIMARYUNIT
¢ Family,notindividual,wasmainorganizingunitinChinesesociety
¢ Filialpietyasidealprincipleforfamily life¢ Paternalauthority
¢ Fathers controlled property, income, children’s marriage ¢ Generallymeantmaledominationoverfemales
¢ Familyimaginedasmicrocosmofstateorganization� LoyaltytopaternalCigure=loyaltyto state� FamilystructurerepresentedhierarchicalnatureofChinesepoliticalandsocial order
SOCIALCONTEXTOFGENDERRELATIONS:CONFUCIANISM
o Confucius:livedfrom551-479BCE
o Fromafamilyofimpoverishedaristocrats;raisedbymotherinpoverty
o Politicalcontext:EasternZhouDynasty(770-221BC)• timeofpoliticalchaos:Emperor
ruledonlyasahonoraryCigurehead;inreality,Chineseterritoriesruledbydifferentfeudallords
o ConfuciuswantedtobringorderbacktoChinesesociety
Picturesource:h-p://www.biography.com/people/confucius-9254926
CORECONFUCIANIDEASØ Xiao=Filialpiety:
• obligationtofamilysigniCicant• Familyasmicrocosmoftheuniverse• Strongrelationshipbetweenfathersandsonsextendstorelationship
betweenrulerandsubjectsØ Ren=Humanity,reciprocity,empathy
• EmphasisoncollectivegoodratherthanindividualbeneCits,needtoacthumanelytowardsothers
Ø Li=Ritual• BasedonancientChinesereligioustraditions• HeavyemphasisofancestorworshipasoneaspectofCilialpiety• ExtendsbeyondofCicialceremoniesofancestorworship
• Includessocialrelations:properstandardsofbehavior,andpropersocialconventions
• SigniCicantformaintainingspiritualwell-beingandthussocialorder
CLASS IC OF FILIALPIETY¢ Authorunknown,datedfromearlyHan dynasty¢ AllegedlytherecordedconversationsbetweenConfuciusanddiscipleZengZi
“Since we receive our body, hair, and skin from our parents,wedonotdareletitbeinjuredinanyway.ThisisthebeginningofCilialpiety.WeestablishourselvesandpracticetheWay,therebyperpetuatingournameforfuturegenerationsandbringingglorytoourparents.ThisisthefulCillmentofCilialpiety.ThusCilialpietybeginswithservingourparents,continueswithservingtheruler,andiscompletedbyestablishingone’s character.” Source: “The Classic of Filial Piety,” in Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, 2nd Edition,ed.PatriciaBuckleyEbrey(NewYork:FreePress,1993), 64.
MORE EXCERPTS FROMTHE CLASS IC OF FILIALPIETY
“The proper relation between father and son is a partofnatureandformstheprincipleswhichregulatetheconductofrulersand ministers.Parentsgivelife– notieisstrongerthanthis.Rulerspersonallywatchoverthepeople– nocareisgreaterthanthis.Thereforetoloveotherswithout first loving one’s parents is to reject virtue. ToreverenceothermenwithoutCirstreverencingone’s parents is to reject the rules of ritual.”
Source: “The Classic of Filial Piety,” in Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, 2nd Edition,ed.PatriciaBuckleyEbrey(NewYork:FreePress,1993), 66.
BOOK OF FILIALPIETYFORWOMEN¢ AdaptationofClassicofFilialPiety,byTang dynastyfemalewriter(ca.730 CE)
“Let me comment on the way a woman serves her husband.Fromthetimeherhairisarrangedandshemeetshim[duringtheweddingceremony],shemaintainstheformalityappropriatebetweenanofCicialandtheruler.Whenhelpinghimwashorservinghimfood,shemaintainsthereverenceappropriatebetweenfather and child.”
¢ Source: “The BookofFilialPietyforWomenAttributedtoaWomanNéeZheng(ca.730),” translatedbyPatriciaBuckleyEbrey,inUnder Confucian Eyes Writings on Gender in Chinese History,ed.Yu-YinChengandSusanMann(Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2001),57-58.
CLASSICO
FFILIALP
IETYINPICTU
RE
SongdynastyerapaintingbyLiGonglin(ca.1041–1106)illustrating theClassic of Filial Piety.Source:http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1996.479
IllustrationforBook of Filial Piety for Women (Source: Greg Smits, “Men and Women in Society,” from online textbookTopicsinPre-ModernChineseHistory,accessedOctober25,2013.http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/g/j/gjs4/textbooks/PM-China/ch11.htm
DAOIST COSMOLOGY ANDGENDER ROLES
¢ Daoism:ancientChineseideathatfollowingtheway(thedao)ofnatureandtheuniverseledtoharmony
¢ Conceptsoriginatedasearlyas6th centuryBCEandfurtherdevelopedasspeciCicschoolof thoughtca. 100BCE
¢ YinandYang¢ Daoist ideathatoppositeforcescoexisttoprovidebalanceinnature
¢ Yin:associationwithfemininity,darkness,passivebehavior,weakness
¢ Yang:associatedwithmasculinity,strength,power, action,brightness
AWOMAN ’SL IFE INPRE-MODERNCHINA ¢ Marriagearrangedbyfather¢ Oncemarried,movedinwithhusbandandhismother(woman’smother-in-law)
¢ Placeinhouseholdhierarchydependedonwhethershewasaprimarywifeoraconcubine(secondarywife)
¢ Hadlittletonoeconomic independenceoutsideoffamilystructure¢ Primaryfunctions
� Performhouseholdtasks� Produceoffspring(preferably sons)
CHANGE S IN GENDER ROLES fromTANG(618-906CE) TO MING DYNASTY(1368-1644CE)
¢ Education:somedaughtersofscholarsandofCicialslearnedtoreadandwrite� Womenfrompeasantfamiliesstillilliterate
¢ Publiclife:womenfromelitefamilies playedlargerpublicrole
¢ Economy: some peasant women earned extra income bymakingandsellingcraftsatlocalmarketplaces� SupplementincomeofaCinanciallystrugglingfarmingfamily
¢ NOTE:PowerfulwomenlikeEmpressWu(630-705CE)werestilltheexceptionratherthanthenorm
CONCUBINES ¢ Marriedmen(usuallyfrommiddleorupperclass)couldbringotherwomenintothehouseholdinasubordinate,quasi-marital relationship� SongDynastyonward:legaldistinctionbetween wife(primarywife)andconcubines(secondary wives)
¢ Concubinesoftencamefromimpoverished families¢ Primarywifeoutrankedconcubinesinfamilyhierarchyandlegalstatus
¢ Practiceoftakingconcubinesmadefamilyrelations(especiallyamongfemalesinahousehold)morecomplex� Cooperation,indifference,and conClictbetweenwomen� Wiveswhosufferedfromabusefromhusbandsometimestookouttheirangeronconcubines
FOOTBINDING¢ OriginatedinSuidynasty(581-618CE)
¢ Practice of bindingyounggirl’sfeetwithstripsof clothtomodifytheirshapeandsize¢ smallfeetconsideredasignofbeautyandreCinement
¢ Initiallyonlypopularamongelites¢ Eventuallyspreadtoallsocialstrataby17th century� Peasants’ dilemma: binding a daughter’s
foot increasedherchangesofmarryingintowealth,butpeasantfamilies could not afford to sacrifice daughter’s ability to performmanuallabor
Imageofafootdeformedbyfootbindings.Source:h-p://library.uoregon.edu/ec/e-asia/imagesa/boundfoot-1.htm
RECAP:CONSTRUCTIONOF GENDER ROLES INCH INESE SOCIETY
¢ ChinesegenderrolesstronglyinCluencedbyConfucianidealsandbeliefsincosmology
¢ Chinesethinkersconstructedpatternofbehaviorexpectedofwomen,basedontheirinterpretationofclassicalConfucian t e x t s
¢ Girlssubordinatedtoboys¢ Wivessubordinatedtohusband¢ Motherssubordinatedtoadultsons
SOURCES ¢ AsiaForEducators, ColumbiaUniversity. “ConfucianTeaching: ThreeConfucianValues.” AccessedJanuary4, 2015. http://afe.easia .columbia.edu/at/conf_teaching/ct01.html
¢ AsiaforEducators, ColumbiaUniversity. “IntroductiontoDaoism.” AccessedJanuary4, 2015. http://afe.easia .columbia.edu/special/china_1000bce_daoism.htm
¢ Cai , Fangqin,andYipingDu. “Localizing the Study of Women’s History in China.” Chinese Studies in History,vol.5,no.4(2012),7-23.
¢ Ebrey,PatriciaBuckleyetal.East Asia: A Cultural, Social and Political History, 2nd Edition.Boston:HoughtonMifClin,2009.
¢ Fairbank,JohnKingandMerleGoldman.China: A New History.Cambridge:HarvardUniversityPress,2006.
¢ Greenhalgh,Susan.“Bound Feet, Hobbled Lives: Women in Old China.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, vol.2no.1(1977),7-21.
¢ Smits,Greg.“Men and Women in Society,” from online textbookTopics in Pre-Modern Chinese History.accessedOctober25,2013.http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/g/j/gjs4/textbooks/PM-China/ch11.htm