Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. Women and the Family in Chinese History Review
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Start your review of The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Flow
Oct 18, 2012 Jessica Zu rated it it was amazing
This monograph for full general audience best congeals Patricia Ebrey'southward effort to bring women into the discussion of social history of Song China (976-1279). Despite the lack of Vocal sources past the women, Ebrey is able to glean near all available Vocal sources about women such equally legal cases, funerary biographies, medicinal literature, paintings, poems, wedlock proposal, philosophical writings, etc. Based on critical readings of these collected material, Ebrey, for the first time, brings to us a pl This monograph for general audience best congeals Patricia Ebrey's effort to bring women into the word of social history of Vocal People's republic of china (976-1279). Despite the lack of Song sources by the women, Ebrey is able to glean near all available Song sources about women such as legal cases, funerary biographies, medicinal literature, paintings, poems, marriage proposal, philosophical writings, etc. Based on critical readings of these collected material, Ebrey, for the first time, brings to us a plausible and constructed account of Song women, the social contexts of their lives primarily through the lens of matrimony, and how they negotiated within the system, participated with the social trends, and acted upon opportunities in the time of desperate social changes like the development of printing and market economy and cultural changes like Sinification of Buddhism and the revival of Confucianism. More importantly, by bringing women into the moving-picture show, equally Ebrey has demonstrated, one is encouraged to non just ask new questions virtually kinship, economy, and civilization merely also provoked to engage with more elusive issues similar "sexuality, jealousy, and gender symbolism" in the future research (p. xiv).
Ebrey organizes this monograph thematically with the first affiliate "Separating the Sexes" successfully tackles the dominant Vocal gender symbolism of women in the inner quarters and men out fighting in the globe. Matrimony is the central lens in her investigation of the inner quarters and women's lives. Focusing on marriage allows Ebrey to achieve at to the lowest degree two things. First, information technology allows her to get away as much as possible the patriarchal gaze and to bring women'south perspective into the picture. Second, using marriage as a "cultural framework encompassing a variety of partly contradictory and oftentimes cryptic ideas and images" Ebrey is able to highlight the opportunities of bureau for women to participate, negotiate, and build a more satisfying life (p. 8). In so doing, family unit becomes a social context where people, especially women every bit wives, concubines, mothers, and in-laws, "negotiated their relations with ane another, often pursuing different interests and thus coming into conflict" (p.9). Following this novel research methodology, Ebrey provides plausible arguments for women'southward agile participation (if not bringing out change themselves) in the turn to uxorilocal marriages, the increasing size of dowries, every bit well as the spread of pes-bounden as a pursuit for dazzler and contest with concubines and courtesans.
Maternity and widowhood were the two areas that best manifest women as actors instead of objects to be acted upon. Despite the dangers and difficulties associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and childrearing, because of the Chinese emphasis on family values that celebrates motherhood, women were able to proceeds satisfaction through educating and bringing upwards their children with relatively less ambivalence than other female roles. Widowhood, on the other hand, was plagued by structural vulnerabilities due to the lack of a male protector. However, the absence of men likewise brought about opportunities for widows to choose to remain celibate, go along the family unit line through adoption, engage more with family unit business, lead their families into prosperities, and retain control of their dowries—activities and decisions they had to make largely past themselves cartoon supports and ideas from existing social norms and precedents.
Even though Ebrey'southward monograph is geared toward a full general audition, many of the issues she touches upon provide good incentives for further research. For example, in her discussion of upper-class wives in affiliate six and widowhood in chapter ten, she mentions the close affinity of women with Buddhism and their frequent interactions with nuns and eminent monks. Though she never mentions this explicitly, ane is left to wonder whether upper-class wives played an important role in the Sinification of Buddhism, specially the rising of Nan Chan (Southern Chan) in Southern Song through their sponsorship. Even though nosotros may non have historical access to many of the women's stories, Ebrey'south monograph not just discredits the flat image of deferral women in Vocal Prc but also represents a new tendency to engage with both women'due south studies and Chinese civilization as a whole. ...more
Ebrey organizes this monograph thematically with the first affiliate "Separating the Sexes" successfully tackles the dominant Vocal gender symbolism of women in the inner quarters and men out fighting in the globe. Matrimony is the central lens in her investigation of the inner quarters and women's lives. Focusing on marriage allows Ebrey to achieve at to the lowest degree two things. First, information technology allows her to get away as much as possible the patriarchal gaze and to bring women'south perspective into the picture. Second, using marriage as a "cultural framework encompassing a variety of partly contradictory and oftentimes cryptic ideas and images" Ebrey is able to highlight the opportunities of bureau for women to participate, negotiate, and build a more satisfying life (p. 8). In so doing, family unit becomes a social context where people, especially women every bit wives, concubines, mothers, and in-laws, "negotiated their relations with ane another, often pursuing different interests and thus coming into conflict" (p.9). Following this novel research methodology, Ebrey provides plausible arguments for women'southward agile participation (if not bringing out change themselves) in the turn to uxorilocal marriages, the increasing size of dowries, every bit well as the spread of pes-bounden as a pursuit for dazzler and contest with concubines and courtesans.
Maternity and widowhood were the two areas that best manifest women as actors instead of objects to be acted upon. Despite the dangers and difficulties associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and childrearing, because of the Chinese emphasis on family values that celebrates motherhood, women were able to proceeds satisfaction through educating and bringing upwards their children with relatively less ambivalence than other female roles. Widowhood, on the other hand, was plagued by structural vulnerabilities due to the lack of a male protector. However, the absence of men likewise brought about opportunities for widows to choose to remain celibate, go along the family unit line through adoption, engage more with family unit business, lead their families into prosperities, and retain control of their dowries—activities and decisions they had to make largely past themselves cartoon supports and ideas from existing social norms and precedents.
Even though Ebrey'southward monograph is geared toward a full general audition, many of the issues she touches upon provide good incentives for further research. For example, in her discussion of upper-class wives in affiliate six and widowhood in chapter ten, she mentions the close affinity of women with Buddhism and their frequent interactions with nuns and eminent monks. Though she never mentions this explicitly, ane is left to wonder whether upper-class wives played an important role in the Sinification of Buddhism, specially the rising of Nan Chan (Southern Chan) in Southern Song through their sponsorship. Even though nosotros may non have historical access to many of the women's stories, Ebrey'south monograph not just discredits the flat image of deferral women in Vocal Prc but also represents a new tendency to engage with both women'due south studies and Chinese civilization as a whole. ...more
Read for Women and Gender in Chinese History (Spring 2021).
Jul 02, 2019 William rated it information technology was astonishing
An important study of women in quondam imperial China. Very interesting look.
I had to read this for my History 349: Women of East asia class in university this semester. Information technology was very informative for reading about the lives and duties of women in Sung dynasty China. The only trouble I had with this text is that the author mostly focused on higher society and didn't talk over lower grade society. Overall, a fairly interesting read. I had to read this for my History 349: Women of Eastward Asia form in university this semester. It was very informative for reading well-nigh the lives and duties of women in Sung dynasty China. The only problem I had with this text is that the writer mostly focused on higher society and didn't discuss lower class club. Overall, a fairly interesting read. ...more
Mar 11, 2016 Jami rated it actually liked it
A completely new manner to view women in history. Agency, agency, agency.
Patricia Buckley Ebrey is an American historian specializing in cultural and gender bug during the Chinese Song Dynasty. Ebrey obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1968 and her Masters and PhD from Columbia Academy in 1970 and 1975, respectively. Upon receiving her PhD, Ebrey was hired as visiting assistant professor at Academy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Due south Patricia Buckley Ebrey is an American historian specializing in cultural and gender bug during the Chinese Vocal Dynasty. Ebrey obtained her Available of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1968 and her Masters and PhD from Columbia University in 1970 and 1975, respectively. Upon receiving her PhD, Ebrey was hired as visiting banana professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She became an associate professor in 1982 and a full professor three years later. She is now a professor at the University of Washington.
Ebrey has received a number of awards for her work, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation. Ebery'southward The Inner Quarters: Union and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period received the 1995 Levenson Prize from the Association for Asian Studies. Her 2008 work, Accumulating Culture: The Collections of Emperor Huizong, received the Smithsonian Institution's 2010 Shimada Prize for Outstanding Work of East Asian Fine art History.
(from Wikipedia)
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