Education and Women: Modern Chinese Women's Education and the Awakening of Educated Women (1840-1921)

Author: Qiao Suling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Knowledge changes destiny. This book examines the modern transformation of Chinese women through the lens of education, revealing the special significance of education for women and offering insights into fostering a harmonious and equal gender relationship. The "Modern and Contemporary China: Politics and Society Transformation" academic series is the final outcome of a research project at Sun Yat-sen University under the "985" initiative, focusing on the relationship between political and social transformations in modern China.
Politics is a broad and complex concept. This project adopts a broad definition of politics, expanding its research scope to include political thought, political institutions, the international environment, foreign relations, and significant political figures and events in modern China. By integrating politics and society, it explores the relationship between politics and the economy, the impact of politics on education and talent cultivation, the role of politics in social stability and civilization, and the influence of political attitudes and governance theories, strategies, and methods of key figures on society. This multi-faceted and multi-level analysis attempts to explore the interactive relationship between politics and society using sociological theories and methods, evaluating political thought, propositions, and the governance of political figures based on the stability, progress, development, and degree of civilization of society. This is a new attempt.
Modern Chinese politics emerged within the political framework of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. On one side were capitalistic imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, which held political control over China; on the other side were the broad patriotic and revolutionary masses and various intellectuals striving for progress and keeping pace with the times. These two sides represented the two social forces of China and reflected the two possible futures of modern China. Their political ideologies, thoughts, and proposals for reforming China constrained the developmental direction of modern China. Modern Chinese politics is the central content and foundational background for examining the social transformation of modern China.
In contemporary China, political power is held by the broad masses, with the state's power center being the central government led by the Communist Party of China. The state focuses its efforts on developing the economy, culture, and education, rapidly advancing Chinese society. Previous research on modern and contemporary Chinese history has achieved substantial results and significant breakthroughs, but there are also shortcomings. For instance, the key hub controlling the social transformation of modern China—political change—has been studied relatively weakly in terms of its social impact, necessitating more urgent research and higher standards. There is also a trend of shifting research focus from various social aspects back to the center and an objective requirement to improve from specific studies to a holistic grasp.
Previous political history research emphasized class struggle and revolutionary movements, unidirectionally explaining the turmoil and instability caused by political change in society, as well as its impact on the economy, culture, and education. To some extent, this limited the expansion of the field and theoretical advancement of modern Chinese political history research. This project takes the interactive relationship between modern and contemporary Chinese politics and social transformation as its starting point. Building on existing micro-studies, it establishes an innovative and era-specific macro-explanatory system, guided by the expansion of research horizons and the deepening of research levels. Through the combination of macro and micro research and the innovation of methods, it aims to elevate the level of research and open up new paths.
The history of modern and contemporary Chinese politics is an important aspect of modern and contemporary Chinese history research. Overall, past research has been characterized by both a large number of achievements and severe shortcomings, leaving considerable room for further development. Sun Yat-sen University has a strong tradition and advantage in researching modern and contemporary Chinese political thought, political institutions, political figures, and international relations. It leads the field in studies on Sun Yat-sen and modern Chinese politics, adhering to academic norms and fostering a spirit of seeking truth and collaboration among scholars. It has great potential in multiple areas.
The research on the "Modern and Contemporary China: Politics and Society Transformation" project includes senior professors and doctoral supervisors, postdoctoral researchers, and the rest are PhD holders, forming a research team with a mix of experience levels. Each researcher explores new frontiers based on their interests and findings. Many of their works are PhD theses that received excellent evaluations from their defense committees and were published only after repeated revisions. They have conducted specialized research on the relationship between modern and contemporary Chinese politics and society from different perspectives, each with unique strengths and academic value, demonstrating foresight and scholarly rigor.
The "Modern and Contemporary China: Politics and Society Transformation" academic series now presented to readers is the fruit of their hard work. We hope these achievements will help people understand the relationship between politics and social transformation from new angles. Of course, we also look forward to criticism and guidance from readers and the academic community.