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AnonymousMorgan Pitelka brought to us this day some of the most important aspects of history that is most commonly forgotten, the role of women. I truly appreciate that he focused on the history of women of the 3 major E. Asian countries we are studying (China, Japan and Korea), along with his passion and patience in answering our questions. One of the pieces of information that stood out to me most was the information of footbinding during Song Dynasty China & the fact that women held a fair amount of political power during this period of time. In regards to footbinding, although to us it seems more like a practice in mutiliation, it was actually used as a form of competitive grooming. I truly appreciate Dr. Pitelka's modern day comparison by using the example of breast augmentation, liposuction, etc... in order to help us understand why it would have been done in those days. The real ah ha moment came when he explained to us that the mothers would do this in order to secure a good future for not only their daughters, but for themselves as well. That definitely put this practice in perspective.
Another one of the interesting aspects of this day was in understanding the political power that women had during this period of time. For example, Empress Wu became the first empress of China, but only after using her political acumen acquired through marriage and in the leadership of her sons. It is definitely saddening to see that historical scholarship has placed a negative stamp on her reign, especially considering the fact that there was growth economically and politically during her reign. I was also surprised to know that Korea also had a period known as the 3 Queens.
Overall , it was a great day of learning.
Manuel đ
AnonymousI found the discussion of family roles in pre-modern East Asia to be interesting, but it also left me hanging. We talked about how the understanding of family in China and Korea was expansive - more representative of a clan - while the understanding of family in Japan was much tighter. It was mentioned that this tight knit family structure in Japan might have been one reason why Japan was able to modernize so efficiently. I found this extremely interesting, especially when compared to the idea of family and property in Britain when the Industrial Revolution began. I could not find any research on this thesis, and considering the emphasis placed on this in our class, was wondering if anyone could locate an article on this very topic?
AnonymousFoot-binding is a rich topic for our students. I commend the Prof. for allowing us time to discuss this issue, as it undoubtedly interests our students; even if student fascination is of the morbid type, any interest provoked at all opens the door for enduring learning. As it happened, my book had a short section about foot-binding this week. We discussed how our culture reflects aspects of this type of âcompetitive groomingâ with plastic surgery. If you ever come across the topic I suggest exploring this idea of âcompetitive groomingâ with students, as they are in a great position to discuss the topic, with their extensive knowledge of pop culture.