Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies A (Wo)Men's Revolution? Small feet, large hands, and visions of womanhood in China's long 20th century

The aim of this lecture series is to introduce the histories of feminism and feminist consciousness in the modern and contemporary sinophone worlds and to thus provide exposure to non-Western-centered cases of feminist struggles for human rights and social justice from the late nineteenth century to the present. To achieve this goal, lecturers will analyze a variety of sources, including literature, films, and other media, by authors and activists concerned with the lives and realities of Chinese women. A series of guest speakers — based in the USA, mainland China, and Taiwan — will help navigate questions like: What do Chinese women wish to liberate themselves from, how do they enact this and to what end? In what ways does the problem of gender complicate the ideological advent of modernity in China/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore, etc.? How do different technologies of communication and exchange, from the literary journal to cinematic narratives to cyberspace, help and/or hinder activism aimed at fostering gender equality and diversity in China/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore, etc.? What connections exist between feminists and gender, sexuality, the body, media, nationhood, and politics? What changes and breakages do we see in the paradigms of “traditional Chinese culture” and the evolving expectations of women under Confucianism, Communism/Leninism and capitalism in the late nineteenth, twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and in the contemporary situation of globalization?