The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy and Gender

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Covering the historical, social, political, and cultural contexts, The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy and Gender presents a comprehensive overview of the complexity of gender disparity in Chinese thought and culture. Divided into four main sections, an international group of experts in Chinese Studies write on Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist approaches to gender relations. Each section includes a general introduction, a set of authoritative articles written by leading scholars and comprehensive bibliographies, designed to provide the non-specialist with a practical and broad overview. Beginning with the Ancient and Medieval period before moving on to Modern and Contemporary approaches, specially commissioned chapters include Pre-Qin canonical texts, women in early Chinese ethics, the yin-yang gender dynamic and the Buddhist understanding of the conception of gender. Considering why the philosophy of women and gender dynamics in Chinese thought is rarely confronted, The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy and Gender is a pioneering cross-disciplinary introduction to Chinese philosophys intersection with gender studies. By bridging the fields of Chinese philosophy, religion, intellectual history, feminism, and gender studies, this cutting-edge volume fills a great need in the current literature on Chinese philosophy and provides student and scholars with an invaluable research resource to a growing field.

Reviews

This volume covers an immense field. Each essay provides the basis for further analysis and discussion ... The book provides a timely and important way into the overall discussion of gender and Chinese philosophy. Experts in any one of the fields being discussed will no doubt want to consider, agree and disagree with the arguments being presented, but for both experts and general readers, this book can be highly recommended. * Reviews in Religion and Theology *
This volume has broadened and enriched Chinese philosophy, and in doing so, has also broadened and enriched feminist philosophy This volume is full of resources for thinking about the diverse lived experiences of Chinese women, for reconceptualizing contemporary categories and concepts, and for complicating conversations concerning the intersections of gender, culture, and philosophy. * Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy *
Professor Pang-White has collected an extraordinary group of essays about gender issues relative to Chinese philosophy. Nine of the eighteen chapters are about Confucianism though history down to today; five are about Daoism, and four about Chinese Buddhism. Gender issues include those of LGBT people as well as feminists. Some of the essays are historically oriented whereas others are focused on contemporary practices and ideas. This volume provides a splendid orientation for people interested in how China stands with regard to gender issues that have been discussed predominantly in terms of Western culture. I highly recommend this book for students of Chinese intellectual and cultural life. -- Robert Cummings Neville, Professor of Philosophy, Religion, and Theology, Boston University. Past president of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy
Over one generation we have witnessed nothing less than a sea change in the economic and political order of the world. Ann A. Pang-White has herein assembled an international cohort of distinguished scholars to reflect on Chinese culture broadly--Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism--and to engage the issue of gender construction specifically, to see in what way this antique narrative might serve as a protean resource for a changing world cultural order. This anthology is an answer to one of the pressing issues of our time: What does a critical understanding of Chinese culture have to contribute to the contemporary feminist and gender discourse as we aspire to a world beyond misogyny -- Roger T. Ames, Professor of Philosophy, University of Hawai'i, USA
This is a timely book for both Chinese philosophy and gender studies. It provides the most comprehensive source available to understanding gender issues in Chinese traditions. -- Xinyan Jiang, Professor of Philosophy, University of Redlands, USA

Author Bio

Ann A. Pang-White is Professor of Philosophy and Director of Asian Studies at The University of Scranton, USA