Confucian humanism and the importance of female education

ǂthe ǂcontroversial role of Ban Zhao

Abstract

The problem of the relation between the female gender and Confucian humanism is far more complex than it seems to be on the first glance. Especially if we consider the many misogynistic phenomena we can encounter in the course of Chinese history, such as foot-binding or the concubinage, we might be inclined to think that female philosophy was impossible in traditional China. This paper aims to challenge the standard views on this problem. It aims to shed some light on the fact that in this context we have to differentiate between classical teachings that were relatively egalitarian in nature, and later ideologies that more or less openly promoted the inferior position of women in society. The paper will analyse the work of the female Han dynasty scholar Ban Zhao (45–117 CE), who was the first well-known female thinker in the history of Chinese philosophy. Through this analysis, the author also aims to expose the contradiction between dominant conventions on the one hand, and latent, often hidden criticism of gender relations in female writings of traditional China on the other. In this way, the paper aims to promote a more culturally sensitive approach to the historical and conceptual study of gender discourses in China by connecting textual analyses with actual and comprehensive knowledge of the historical and social contexts in which they were placed.

Keywords

Chinese gender studies;Chinese philosophy;Chinese history;Ban Zhaou;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2021
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL FF - Faculty of Arts
UDC:	1(510)
COBISS:	46461443
ISSN:	2232-5131
Parent publication:	Asian studies
Views:	376
Downloads:	127
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
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Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary title:	Konfucijanski humanizem in pomen izobraževanja žensk
Secondary abstract:	Problem odnosa med ženskim spolom in konfucijanskim humanizmom je veliko kompleksnejši, kot se zdi na prvi pogled. Če upoštevamo številne ženskomrzne pojave, s katerimi nas sooča kitajska zgodovina in h katerim sodita, denimo, povezovanje stopal ali konkubinat, bi lahko dobili vtis, da ženska filozofija v kitajski tradiciji ni mogla obstajati. Pričujoči članek prevprašuje takšno uveljavljeno stališče. Opozarja, da je treba tudi v tem pogledu razlikovati med egalitarnostjo izvornega konfucijanskega nauka in poznejšimi konfucianističnimi ideologijami, ki so odkrito zagovarjale manjvrednost žensk. Avtorica analizira delo učenjakinje Ban Zhao (45–117 n. št.) iz obdobja dinastije Han, ki je znana kot prva mislica v zgodovini kitajske filozofije. S to analizo želi med drugim opozoriti na protislovje med prevladujočimi konvencijami na eni strani ter na latentne in pogosto prikrite kritike spolnih razmerij pri ženskih delih na drugi. Namen članka je spodbujanje kulturno bolj rahločutnih pristopov k zgodovinskim in vsebinskim študijam spolnih diskurzov na Kitajskem s pomočjo besedilne analize ter aktualnih in celovitih znanj in družbenih kontekstov, v katere so ti umeščeni.
Secondary keywords:	kitajska filozofija;kitajska zgodovina;kitajske študije spolov;Ban Zhao;
Type (COBISS):	Article
Pages:	str. 13-29
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ9 (25)
Issue:	ǂiss. ǂ1
Chronology:	2021
DOI:	10.4312/as.2021.9.1.13-29
ID:	12548714