Technology and Gender (Power Dynamics in Late Imperial China)

Author: Bai Fulan (USA), translated by Jiang Mei and Deng Jingli
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: This is a unique work of material cultural history and a perspective-defining study of women's history. The book challenges the Western "scientific" standards used to assess the technological achievements of traditional Chinese society, which often leads to answers like "Why did China fail to modernize?" It argues that technology should be viewed as a powerful material form of expressing and shaping Chinese culture and social structures. From this perspective, it examines "women's technology" in traditional Chinese society from the Song to the Qing dynasties, analyzing how technology strongly disseminated and shaped gender norms and women's roles in traditional Chinese culture. However, unlike traditional perceptions of women in the past, the author contends that women were not passive victims of patriarchy or male dominance but active and influential participants in the cultural and social order of traditional Chinese society.