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AnonymousSession 3
The role women have played throughout history has always fascinated me. I know that women's roles throughout history have changed and that there are historical contexts that need to be considered when comparing how women were seen in different areas. What I find to be very interesting is the issues that this is now causing when it comes to the population in East Asia. I am not someone who understands math very well but I really enjoyed Professor Dube's use of statistics, it really helped to drive the point home. When teaching about China and Japan and the role of women my students usually have lots of questions, I feel like this lecture and the readings have given me more background knowledge as well as information that I can use to explain things to my students. I feel like in my own teaching I would like to focus on the family aspect a little bit more and I am happy to have more resources to make this possible.
AnonymousThe Thin Horse Market
The role of the concubine and the process of choosing one was interesting for me to read. Throughout history, money has always been a factor when looking at the opportunities that are given to individuals. The topic of concubines is no different. Poor families are sometimes put in the position where they have to sale their daughters into this occupation which obviously damages the family relationship to a certain degree. Young girls are put into a role of service to men and families with more power and opportunities.
The ritual of acquiring a concubine was extensive and well thought out. When young married couples were unable to conceive, a concubine was purchased in hopes of bearing a son. Wealthy men and families were just given this privilege and pleasure of having concubines to add to their life of excess and abundance. Chinese men used brokers to find and bring them concubines to choose from. A desired concubine would have bound feet, a soft voice, desired age, beautiful eyes, and represent the ideal Chinese woman for that time period. I think it is telling of the importance of this market and the experience of some of the men, when they can tell the size of a woman’s feet by the sound her skirt makes as she walks. Money and gifts are exchanged making this a profitable market for the brokers, but also provides a solution to infertility and lifelong poverty for the women and their families.
AnonymousThis session was an eye opener for me. Never considered that the ultra sound machine was shaping our present and the future so much. Mention of how it has been used to control sex was something that I have heard but not really explored.
Reading the articles and reviewing our exercise on philosophy I can see how Confucianism was very much a part of the way people taught. Following rules and procedures were very much a part of the culture. The article that stood out to me the most was on Concubines. It made me think of the Rising Red Lantern movie that I saw for my review. Explains why women would be so catty towards each other and how life really did revolve around their husband and children. Philosophy and family values would teach them that. The entire movie revolved on their room, the courtyard and the interactions with other concubines.
Which brings us back to today’s China and why women do not want to have kids or family but are being pressured by society to reproduce. The shame they are getting for choosing not to marry is quite sad. Honestly I don’t blame women for not wanting to marry.
AnonymousI agree with you on being disturbed when reading Widows Loyal Until Death article. I also agree that they may have not loved their husband or even known their husband but according to articles like Woman and The Problems They Create or Concubines, Women did not have much of a choice. It seems to me that society, towns, customs, and family loyalty push women to do this. In the beginning of the article Cheng Yi declared, "...that it was better for a widow to starve to death than remarry, since personal integrity was a more important matter than life." One of the last stories mentioned was Huang Yijie, who was 15, heard that her husband had died and she slowly understood what that meant. Even though it did not say it, I understood that it meant that she would have to kill herself. A 15 year old girl who may have been pushed by everyone in her household to do this for the benefit of the family, for banners or arches proclaiming her virtue.
AnonymousFrom our discussions and readings it appears that Asian countries are more male dominant, from the idea of having male children over female children, roles in society, the home marriage and education.
The stories provided us about women from then period during (1123-1202) and (1140- 1195) from Professor Ebney, were a great insight into the women of the time. Be they divorcees who had to find a way to raise their children without the support of a spouse. Or women who spread lies to achieve their own way and inflicted great mental and emotional harm to others just to have their way.
Some of these great women were widows who were selfless and provided for her mothering in law, despite being young enough to go off and remarry. In the home situation women are not free to speak for themselves they and must be spoken for meaning even the son can speak for the mother in the fathers absence but the mother must remain in silence.
Women are very much under valued in this time period, but with all the women do both for her home and her politics, I feel she should be seen as powerful.
Anonymous[font=Times, " times="" new="" roman",="" serif]I enjoyed reading your post on fidelity. You posed many excellent questions. My favorite was, "How can suicide be a means of fidelity if one's life will be done?" These types of questions inspire me to to continue my studies in the Asian cultures. There is still so much that I don not understand. It is a challenge for me to fully understand the ideas and customs of East Asia. The only way to get through or work on this challenge is by continuing to study the culture. Hopefully this will bring me some personal clarity. [/font]
edited by cgao on 7/8/2016
AnonymousDonna, I am so happy you encourage us to contextualize how we might interpret the readings on women. I often check in with my own bias and wonder how much my ideas of women’s rights within the US context affect the way I see women’s roles in China. I don’t think it’s fair for me to judge the roles of women from a US perspective because China and the US are very different places. I don’t think the US is the exemplar for women’s rights because we have a long way to go. Not only had we not had a female president, but I often feel that within mainstream feminist thought women of color and queer women are by and large left out. I wholeheartedly agree with you on your ideas of how the US also has a long way to go when it comes to the rights of women.
edited by nramon on 6/23/2016
edited by nramon on 6/23/2016
AnonymousWhen reading this article I began to think about how much widows stories in the early times in Asia connects to patriarchy and how society views women as a commodity and not a human being. The story that stood out to me was Fu Xiajia's story of hanging herself after hearing that her husband was killed by bandits. The impact society's views have on women is internalized within your own psyche. As they quoted "a widow is batter off starving than getting remarried" exemplifies the injustice women encounter in order to uphold society's views. These women's stories can serve as a lesson about society's views about women and its affects on women themselves. It is so important to continue bringing light to these women's perspectives and empower young women today to take a stance when being treated unjustly due to their gender.
Anonymous Kriztian, the economic effects of government sponsored dating programs are fascinating. I never really thought about it but finding one’s “financial” equal greatly limits social mobility. I also wonder what other factors might affect the type of partners people seek out. For example, whereas in the past, men tended to carry the money making potential and it was more acceptable to marry a woman with a lesser financial potential, today women are more and more capable of supporting themselves and with that comes more agency with selecting who they want as their life partner. In becoming more selective, so to speak, I wonder how that helps to perpetuate the pattern of people looking to settle with their financial “equal”.
edited by nramon on 6/23/2016
Anonymous Jennifer, I also had mixed feelings about the process of selective abortions in Asian countries, and I wonder how much my perspective as an American affects how I perceive all this information around birthing. For one, the ideas of pro-choice affects my ideas around abortion, and when I hear about East Asian governments taking a more active role in abortions, I have mixed feelings because of my perspective as an American who is pro-choice. I suppose the process of separating myself from my bias is an on going process. You raise a really great question about what the government of Japan might be doing to stimulate a higher birth rate. I recently read an article about a program in Japan that pays couples something to the tune of $1700 for getting pregnant. I believe this incentive program has had a significant impact on the amount of couples who have selected to reproduce.
edited by nramon on 6/23/2016
Anonymous You bring up very important questions that I had not thought about until I read your questions on families who depart of the Confucian idea of parenting. I think asking these questions might help Americans at large to complicate their notions of Asians and their families. In the US, many people hold on to the idea of the “model minority” who is diligent, obedient, and who stays away from making waves. They idea you are proposing and the questions you are asking, I feel help many people challenge their ideas of the model minority. It helps us consider that Asians, just like any other group might also grapple with dysfunctional family dynamics and social issues such as addiction.
edited by nramon on 6/23/2016
Anonymous@ Jaygayton
When reading Widows Loyal Unto Death, I had the same questions and sentiments. It is really saddening when cultures and traditions instill in women that they are worth less than man. Such unjust actions still occur today. In looking at the school I work for, this reading would serve as a lesson that can focus on the unjust actions that happen in the past and still continue today. It is important continue analyzing the propaganda and reasoning that was used to belittle the most vulnerable from the past and compare it to justifications used today to dehumanize our most disenfranchised groups.
Anonymous Carrie, being a woman in China certainly has its challenges and I agree with you when you say being a woman in China is not so great. I think being a woman in most countries is not so great either. Despite the fact that women are making strides in their liberation, we live in a world that is still very much a “man’s world” and for this reason, we have a long way to go when it comes to closing the gap of power between the genders (even here in the US). With this said, I will say that despite the fact that China is not entirely egalitarian when it comes to gender relations, it has certainly done something remarkable with the role of mother. During the cultural revolution, motherhood was seen as key to developing the future of China and in cultivating patriotic citizens. Although this is certainly patronizing to motherhood (and womanhood), it is pretty cool to see that motherhood is at one point recognized as such a central and integral part of shaping a country’s future. I wonder of the US has ever done something like this to the role of motherhood in our country.
edited by nramon on 6/23/2016
