Confucianism and Women: A Philosophical InterpretationSUNY Press, 1. juuni 2007 - 210 pages Confucianism and Women argues that Confucian philosophy often criticized as misogynistic and patriarchal is not inherently sexist. Although historically bound up with oppressive practices, Confucianism contains much that can promote an ethic of gender parity. Attacks on Confucianism for gender oppression have marked China s modern period, beginning with the May Fourth Movement of 1919 and reaching prominence during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. The West has also readily characterized Confucianism as a foundation of Chinese women s oppression. Author Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee challenges readers to consider the culture within which Confucianism has functioned and to explore what Confucian thought might mean for women and feminism. She begins the work by clarifying the intellectual tradition of Confucianism and discussing the importance of the Confucian cultural categories yin-yang and nei-wai (inner-outer) for gender ethics. In addition, the Chinese tradition of biographies of virtuous women and books of instruction by and for women is shown to provide a Confucian construction of gender. Practices such as widow chastity, footbinding, and concubinage are discussed in light of Confucian ethics and Chinese history. Ultimately, Rosenlee lays a foundation for a future construction of Confucian feminism as an alternative ethical ground for women s liberation. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
CONFUCIANISM CHINESENESS AND REN VIRTUOUS PERSONHOOD | 15 |
RU AND ITS AMBIGUITY | 17 |
RU STATE AND CHINESENESS | 24 |
REN AS CONFUCIAN VIRTUE ETHICS | 34 |
YINYANG GENDER ATTRIBUTES AND COMPLEMENTARITY | 45 |
YINYANG AND THE OPPOSITIONAL BINARY OF FEMININITYMASCULINITY | 48 |
YINYANG AND CORRELATIVE COSMOLOGY | 50 |
THE FOUR BOOKS FOR WOMEN AND BY WOMEN | 103 |
THE QUESTION OF FEMALE LITERACY AND THE VIRTUE OF WOMENS SPEECH FUYAN | 110 |
CHINESE SEXISM AND CONFUCIANISM | 119 |
GENDER OPPRESSION AND CONFUCIAN VIRTUE ETHICS | 122 |
WIDOWHOOD AND FOOTBINDING | 129 |
TOWARD A CONFUCIAN FEMINISMFEMINIST ETHICS INTHEMAKING | 149 |
THE PROBLEMS OF GENDER AND THE POLITICS OF FEMINISM | 150 |
A HYBRID IDENTITY | 152 |
YINYANG COMPLEMENTARITY AND GENDER HIERARCHY | 55 |
NELWAI GENDER DISTINCTIONS AND RITUAL PROPRIETY | 69 |
NEIWAI RITUALIZATION AND CIVILIZATION | 71 |
NEIWAI FUNCTIONAL DISTINCTIONS AND GENDER HIERARCHY | 79 |
DIDACTIC TEXTS FOR WOMEN AND THE WOMANLY SPHERE OF NEI | 95 |
LIENUZHUAN GUIFAN AND THE TRADITION OF VIRTUOUS WOMENS BIOGRAPHIES | 96 |
Other editions - View all
Confucianism and Women: A Philosophical Interpretation Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
ancestor worship ancient Ban Zhao's barbarians boundary century BCE chapter China Chinese gender Chinese society Chinese women Chunqiu fanlu civil Classics concept Confucian Confucian feminism Confucius correlation cosmology cultural Daoism defined despite discourse dynastic history dynasty early emperor Empress female literacy feminine feminism feminist fidelity filial piety footbinding gender propriety girls hence hierarchical human husband Ibid ideal imperial court junzi Legge Lienuzhuan Liji literary learning marriage Mencius moral mother Mozi nei-wai distinction Nujie one's parents person personhood political practice of footbinding proper qian Qing Qing periods Raphals rites ritual propriety Ru learning Ru's scholars sexist Shijing signifies sphere status talent Tang term texts theory tradition virtue ethics virtue of filial virtue of ren virtuous women Western widow chastity widowhood wife woman women's biographies words wuxing Xunzi Yijing yin and yang yin-yang binary yinyang wuxing Yuan Zhao Zhou Zhu Xi Zhuangzi Zou Yan Zuozhuan