Tutor in a women's academy: The culture of talented women in Jiangnan during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties

Author: (USA) Gao Yanyi / Li Zhisheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The main purpose of this book is to rewrite the feminist history of traditional women's history during the May Fourth Movement. The significant socio-economic and cultural changes in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties promoted the flourishing of "talented women culture." Notably, this included the rise of commercial printing, the emergence of a broad readership, a renewed focus on emotions, increased visibility of courtesan culture, the advocacy of women's education, more opportunities for women to travel, and the redefinition of female characteristics. Therefore, the book argues that the women of Jiangnan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties were far from being oppressed and voiceless. Within the male-dominated Confucian system, these women created a rich and meaningful cultural way of life. Through the intersection of Confucian idealized theory, life practices, and women's perspectives, the authors reconstruct the social, emotional, and intellectual worlds of these women, offering a new approach to examining history that prioritizes understanding how women actually lived.
Author Bio: Gao Yanyi (Dorothy Ko) received her B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in East Asian History from the same institution, specializing in social history of the Ming and Qing dynasties and comparative women's history. She has taught at the University of California, San Diego, and the Department of History and Women's Studies at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Currently, she is a professor in the Department of History at Barnard College, Columbia University. Her recent works include Every Step a Lotus: Shoes for Bound Feet (University of California Press, 2001) and Cinderella's Sisters: A Revisionist History of Footbinding (University of California Press, 2005).