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Anonymous.
clay dubeIn this section of the forum, let's share thoughts on how to effectively engage our students in discussions of evolving gender roles.
The current (4/30/04) issue of the The Chronicle of Higher Education http://chronicle.com/ includes an article by David Glenn entitled "A Dangerous Surplus of Sons." Valerie Hudson and Andrea de Boer conclude in their book Bare Branches: Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population (MIT Press, 2004) that sex selective abortion will threaten peace as mate-less males contribute to higher levels of crime and social disorder. Asian governments will channel males into larger armies and trouble could follow.
I haven't read the book, but attach the article for you to explore. Off the top of my head, I think we can note that in some places in late imperial China (roughly 1368-1911) unmarried males were prevalent and participated in rebel groups (see Elizabeth Perry's classic work on rebellion Rebels and Revolutionaries in North China, 1845-1945).
The article also discusses various theories on the origins and persistence of a widespread Asian preference for sons. These include
-- social security (in places where daughters marry out, some say they are "raising someone else's daughter-in-law", a person whose labor will benefit another family),
-- religious beliefs (sons are needed to maintain the family line and perform rituals),
-- ideas emerging out of a need for warriors, and hypergyny (women "marry up" -- taking on husbands of a higher social ranks and paying large dowries, therefore some families seek to avoid the expense)
Glenn's article begins with a selection from the ancient Chinese text The Book of Songs (Shijing):
When a son is born
Let him sleep on the bed,
Clothe him with fine clothes.
And give him jade to play with. ...
When a daughter is born,
Let her sleep on the ground,
Wrap her in common wrappings,
And give her broken tiles for playthings.
http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i34/34a01401.htm
[Edit by="Clay Dube on Aug 26, 6:07:45 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousIt would seem that if we were to apply the economic rule of supply to the low ratio of women, that women should ultimately become more valued because there are so few of them.
AnonymousI happened to watch “NBC News on Sunday” and the news anchor spoke about the one child law and “China’s Lost Girls.” There was a visually unsettling film clip of boys and girls playing in a primary school. The person being interviewed said that out of the 39 students enrolled, 28 were boys.
Boys in China are expected to supply labor, support parents, and carry on the family name. A girl is considered a liability because she will become someone else’s daughter-in-law, serving the husband’s family. Girls who manage to get born are often abandoned at orphanages and churches; others are forced to marry and are raped and beaten by their husbands.
In other readings, I learned about a death room where a two-year-old daughter was tied to a chair and left to die. The door was only opened to see if she had died yet. I also read that the one child law is not uniformly enforced. Officials can be bribed to allow a couple to have another child. If it is a girl, there may not be an official birth record—the girl does not exist—and she will not be able to go to school or receive social services.
The conclusion even among the Chinese is that selective abortion is not good. The camera panned to a large sign that read “Boys and Girls are Equal” (a feeble government attempt to change thinking?) but sadly, it will take a long time to reverse a tradition of male preference and female infanticide that has been going on for centuries.
AnonymousI was interested in the David Glenn article, but was unable to access it because I needed to be a subscriber. Was it attached to your posting?
clay dubeThe David Glenn article on the Bare Branches book is available at:
clay dubeFootbinding -- when it started and what it represented is much discussed. Its existence in China's past is one of the most commonly held bits of information many Americans have about China. It was widespread (but was not uniformly practiced) and it lasted centuries. How are we to understand what function footbinding played and how it was understood?
Drawing on new evidence and approaching previously considered materials in new ways, some scholars are arguing that the commonly held view (footbinding was oppressive and was imposed upon women through a cruel social structure and cultural norms) needs rethinking.
Here are some online and print resources teachers may find useful.
Dorothy Ko, "The Body as Attire: The Shifting Meanings of Footbinding in Seventeenth-Century China," Journal of Women's History 8.4.
http://iupjournals.org/jwh/jwh8-4.html
Ko, Ch. 2 from Every Step a Lotus
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9687/9687.ch2.pdf
Beverley Jackson, Splendid Slippers. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1997.
Howard S. Levy, The Lotus Lovers: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Footbinding in China. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1992.
And a novel:
Feng Jicai, Three-Inch Golden Lotus. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
AnonymousWhenever we visited a school and then had a forum with the teachers afterward, we would sit in concentric circles to have a discussion. The visiting teachers would sit on the oppostie side of the room. The Japanese teachers would sit in concentric circles. The male teachers would aways sit in the center and the ladies would always sit on the outside. No matter their position, the women would always relegated to the outer circle.
AnonymousYes, footbinding was cruel and unjusted for women in those days. As much as we think that it is wrong and needs some rethinking, which i do agree, but i think what we learn from that act of injustice and cruelty is much more. The idea that men could have as many concubines, and wives as they want, which limits the right of women, footbinding was the only way to keep the women from running away. the smaller the feet, the less likely to run. Of course there are other political issues surrounding footbinding, but nevertheless, i think it is quite an educational issue.
AnonymousI found Saturday lecture on women in East Asia facinating.
When Dr. Morgan Pitelka talked about Korean women and their virtue, I remembered a movie that perfectly captures that.
It is one of the famous Korean folktales that shows the spirit of Korean women and their loyalty to their men.
The movie is Chungyang.
I remember reading it growing up and hearing about it from my mother as she told my sisters.
Check it out...also in the film review...
lc
AnonymousDr. Pietlka's lecture was great. I am glad that he brought up the other side of footbinding. Last year, when my kids asked me why women would do it, I couldn't really give them a better answer than "To be more attractive to men." Now, after our discussion, I can get them to better understand that women (especially mothers) were also behind the practice, and that it was not only done because men placed pressure on women. I am glad to know the whole social aspects behind it. It will be interesting to have a discussion in class to see whether some students would put their daughters through such torture in order to elevate their lifestyle or to have them be financially secure. THey would obviously have to think of the impact on a family of having too many unmarried daughters or having their daughters courted by less desirable suitors who thought foot size didn't matter.
AnonymousI really agree with that; I am glad that the other side of footbinding was brought up. I used to think that foot binding was a way to keep the women loyal to their men. I thought that the smaller the feet, the harder and slower it is to run, therefore, women were unable to leave their men even if they wanted to. I didn't know it was a cosmetic feature nor a social status.
AnonymousI too greatly enjoyed Dr. Pietlka's lecture. The thing that stood out to me most is when Dr. Pietlka said women were active parties in practices such as footbinding. He was correct in saying that we often judge and look down on practices of other cultures that are different from our own, or practices that seem harmful and unnecessary. I admit having the stereotype of Chinese women being submissive and weak. I don't how this stereotype became ingrained in my mind. It may be that I can relate to some of the "stereotypes" and I hate that part of myself. Having Dr. Patella compares footbinding to plastic surgery and the corset gave me a very different perspective of traditional practices. Women have concerns with body image. Whether we want to admit it or not, most women go to great lengths to be beautiful. We are bombarded with images of "beautiful" women in the media and strive to look more like these women. For the most part, I believe the desire to be beautiful isn't to impress men, but to impress and compete with other women.
AnonymousI started reading a Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah to my homeroom class today. I decided to read this book after our discussion on Saturday. There are no Asian students in my class or even at my school. A major focus for me this year is to develop more cultural awareness with my students. This book will raise awareness of the Chinese culture in a very non-treatening way. Not only will students learn about the culture, they will also be able to relate to the universal theme of wanting to be loved and accepted by family and peers. The author focuses on the double standard between gender roles and the expectations for males and females. I know my class will start having great discussions based on the book. Check out the book review section for more details on the book!
Anonymous"Bound feet take years of wrapping. The toe bones have to be broken slowly, carefully. Even after a young girl's feet are perfectly formed, she has to keep them wrapped so they will stay in that shape. Prospective in-laws ask: "Did she complain much during her foot-binding years?" If yes, then they would think twice. She was a complainer, then, not obedient enough. Even at age three, I knew. If I was good, Mama and Baba would say that my feet were perfectly formed golden lilies, that I had been even-tempered and docile during those difficult years. But if this were not true, everyone would know. The Kitchen God would tell the Supreme God. The matchmaker would warn prospective families. The servants would gossip about me to other servants in the town. Everyone in Baoshan knew the Chang family. If I was bad, no one would want me. I would not marry and would become a disgrace to my family. And still, I cried."
Page 22, Bound Feet & Western Dress A memoir by Pang-Mei Natasha Chang.
I took this passage from the book I am currently reading. I went to get this book after Dr. Pietlka came to speak with our seminar. After rereading Ryan's response to Dr. Pietlka's lecture and comments on footbinding, I thought this was a good description of how one woman viewed her footbinding and how she felt it would affect her family and future marriage. The pain of the footbinding process was too much for her. Yui's Second Brother, who had been educated in Japan, saw her pain and convinced their mother to stop the painful process. Yui escapes her footbinding but lives the rest of her life in accordance to the traditions of her family.
AnonymousThe lecture was quite enlightening and gave me a completely different perspective on the why and how of this custom. During the lecture, I was thinking about corsets as well. But I remember hearing from someone about having her lower ribs removed so that her waist was a perfect 16 inches. Her friends would swallow capsules with small tape worms so that they would not process the food and gain weight. (Then, of course, we have bulimia and anorexia problems.) In New York, I met ex-models who in the 1950s had removed their back molars to give their face those linear angles and sink the cheeks. Once again, the mutilation continues. Lastly, women who suffer and take a chance on plastic surgery(ies). What amazes me is that it is now accepted in the beauty pageants to have as much reconstructive surgery as possible in order to create that perfect beauty. Why shouldn't we allow athletes to use enhancement drugs to make that perfect athlete? Humanity seems to be extremely unbalanced (socially, psychologically, ethically, and so on, and so on). Joy, joy.