Bloomsbury Readings in Chinese Women’s Philosophical and Feminist Thought: From the Late 13th to Early 21st Century

Readings in Chinese Women’s Philosophical and Feminist Thought gathers 36 original writings on and by women in China from the Yuan dynasty through to the Republic, an important historical period when women’s learning in China blossomed as a result of economic prosperity, development of commercial printing, and the interaction between the East and the West.Selections are made not only from canonical texts on women’s virtue, but from less orthodox literary works such as plays, poetry, novels, essays, and revolutionary writings that illuminate the lived experience of women and the perception of gender. With many texts translated into English for the first time, this reader provides the groundwork needed to understand them. It features: - Chronologically organised readings in the sequence of the Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties and the Republic(s) to demonstrate historical progression of thought (or the lack of) - Introductions to each sections covering the authors, and the historical background to their work- A chronology of dynasties and writers, maps and a glossaryRecovering discourse so often neglected in discussion of Chinese thought, this is the first collection to pay special attention to women-authored works from the late 13th to the early 21st-century. By bringing these readings together in a single volume, it juxtaposes and compares female with male perspectives from the same time and creates a new narrative of Chinese philosophical thought. About the Author Ann A. Pang-White is Professor of Philosophy and Director of Asian Studies at The University of Scranton, USA.