Let women speak for themselves: The journey of independence

Author: Li Xiaojiang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Education awakens women's sense of autonomy, not only enabling them to acquire the ability to earn a living independently but also fostering their independent will. Profession, on the other hand, makes "independence" a reality—this is the fundamental difference between modern women and traditional women in terms of both their overall image and individual destinies, as well as the distinction between 20th-century Chinese women and women throughout history. Although this group is not as large as in Western societies, and this characteristic may not be as striking in the tumultuous changes of the "great era," it remains a defining feature of 20th-century Chinese women. Comparing "war" and "politics": after war, women return home; after political movements, women mostly revert to tradition. Only education and profession can fundamentally alter the inner quality of a woman's life, demonstrating their enduring significance amid changing times—regardless of how turbulent the era, they serve as the foundation for women's (individual) continuous growth. Oral history methods are not unique to women's studies, nor was the use of oral history pioneered by women's history, but it has been particularly favored by female scholars and widely adopted by feminist historians. This is because oral history complements and corrects traditional historiography, uncovering the silenced groups (such as women, ethnic minorities, and the lower classes) and their unheard voices (regarding private emotions, life experiences, etc.), thereby enabling a more complete record of the history of "people" and ordinary people. Women were once "unrecorded in history," and the historical "silence of women" in academia led women's history research to begin with "breaking the silence" and "giving women a voice." These two movements advanced in tandem around the same time (mid-20th century), becoming comrades-in-arms in the revolutionary wave of modern historiography. "Letting women speak for themselves" tells the historical experiences and preserves the memories of women through their voices, examining historical footprints from a female perspective. Through women's names, we retrieve their history, enriching the interpretation of the past. From a macro perspective, the experiences of Chinese women in the 20th century can be divided by 1949 as a dividing line: (before 1949) the relationship between women and (ethnic) war, and (after 1949) the relationship between women and (national) politics, forming the two major themes of Chinese women throughout the 20th century. In other words, the relationship between women and the "nation-state" is reflected in the individual experiences of every woman with unprecedented depth and breadth. In this relationship, women's roles are largely passive; although they also progress with the times, they remain unable to truly master their own lives and destinies. From another angle, focusing on women themselves, the two things that women identify with, consciously pursue, and have long-lastingly transformed their fate are education and profession. Compared to profession, education may be the more significant driving force.