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Finding Women in the State: A Socialist Feminist Revolution in the People's Republic of China, 1949-1964
Finding Women in the State is a provocative hidden history of socialist state feminists maneuvering behind the scenes at the core of the Chinese Communist Party. These women worked to advance gender and class equality in the early People’s Republic and fought to transform sexist norms and practices, all while facing fierce opposition from a male-dominated CCP leadership from the Party Central to the local government. Wang Zheng extends this investigation to the cultural realm, showing how feminists within China’s film industry were working to actively create new cinematic heroines, and how they continued a New Culture anti-patriarchy heritage in socialist film production. This book illuminates not only the different visions of revolutionary transformation but also the dense entanglements among those in the top echelon of the party. Wang discusses the causes for failure of China’s socialist revolution and raises fundamental questions about male dominance in social movements that aim to pursue social justice and equality. This is the first book engendering the PRC high politics and has important theoretical and methodological implications for scholars and students working in gender studies as well as China studies.
400 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 28, 2018
Examination of the role of feminists and feminism in the first decades of the People's Republic of China. Wang knows more than to reduce the situation to small-scale activists versus the looming totalitarian state, but
Chapter 1 discusses women activists in the Shanghai branch of the All-China Women's Federation (中华全国妇女联合会), and how it was caught in the middle of political infighting over its role and function, and how some members of top leadership wanted to assign it a relatively subordinate role. Chapter 2 discusses how the ACWF found political allies, and while it had received new top-down instructions that focused on domesticity and managing family life, it still retained some degree of independence and autonomy.
Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the Federation's own magazine, and how it maintained high editorial standards, promoted women's education, and reached a circulation of over 500,000 copies. Small numbers for China, but consider how bad women's literacy was until the mid-20th century. The magazine was scapegoated by the top official Chen Boda for promoting bourgeois ideas, but Wang reveals this was only a roundabout method for Chen to attack a friend an editor's husband.
Chapters 5-7 take a turn towards the film industry. Chapter 5 discusses Chen Bo'er (no relation to Chen Boda), a pioneering film director, scriptwriter, and actress. She was in the process of establishing what would be the Beijing Film Academy until her sudden death from illness in 1951. Chapter 6 discusses another filmmaker, Xia Yan. He would continue to enjoy popularity until his violent denunciation by Chairman Mao's wife, Jiang Qing. Their views were again not so different, it was only personal differences which brought him down.
The last chapters discuss Jiang Qing herself, who relished women-centered roles in the media and promoted them in her model operas and films. Their backing faded after her own sudden removal from power, and the titles of praise which she had often used for workers (e.g. Iron Girls, or 铁姑娘) became terms of derision - where any feminist policy became associated with her own paranoid or violent excesses.
This book not only tells these stories, it places them in a wider context and draws out lessons from them. These feminists were able to promote their own agendas by using the rest of the party's own terminology, but at the expense of their own visibility and an understated role in the historical record. Wang does impressive work in uncovering this story - she is able to find archives and even interviews with surviving editorial staff - no small feat in today's China. An impressive book.
Chapter 1 discusses women activists in the Shanghai branch of the All-China Women's Federation (中华全国妇女联合会), and how it was caught in the middle of political infighting over its role and function, and how some members of top leadership wanted to assign it a relatively subordinate role. Chapter 2 discusses how the ACWF found political allies, and while it had received new top-down instructions that focused on domesticity and managing family life, it still retained some degree of independence and autonomy.
Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the Federation's own magazine, and how it maintained high editorial standards, promoted women's education, and reached a circulation of over 500,000 copies. Small numbers for China, but consider how bad women's literacy was until the mid-20th century. The magazine was scapegoated by the top official Chen Boda for promoting bourgeois ideas, but Wang reveals this was only a roundabout method for Chen to attack a friend an editor's husband.
Chapters 5-7 take a turn towards the film industry. Chapter 5 discusses Chen Bo'er (no relation to Chen Boda), a pioneering film director, scriptwriter, and actress. She was in the process of establishing what would be the Beijing Film Academy until her sudden death from illness in 1951. Chapter 6 discusses another filmmaker, Xia Yan. He would continue to enjoy popularity until his violent denunciation by Chairman Mao's wife, Jiang Qing. Their views were again not so different, it was only personal differences which brought him down.
The last chapters discuss Jiang Qing herself, who relished women-centered roles in the media and promoted them in her model operas and films. Their backing faded after her own sudden removal from power, and the titles of praise which she had often used for workers (e.g. Iron Girls, or 铁姑娘) became terms of derision - where any feminist policy became associated with her own paranoid or violent excesses.
This book not only tells these stories, it places them in a wider context and draws out lessons from them. These feminists were able to promote their own agendas by using the rest of the party's own terminology, but at the expense of their own visibility and an understated role in the historical record. Wang does impressive work in uncovering this story - she is able to find archives and even interviews with surviving editorial staff - no small feat in today's China. An impressive book.
November 27, 2020
共和国时期社会主义（国家）女权史的发掘，集中在高层视角和文化精英，后期转向话语分析。妇女工作者为妇女解放和男女平等付出的努力往往伴随着与masculine state的冲突与妥协。亮点是对高层政治博弈的描写引出对毛时期政治中“阶级斗争”概念滥用的反思。结尾过度美化文革时期“铁姑娘”这一cultural construct，而关于典型塑造的具体过程语焉不详，似乎写这个概念仅仅是为了引出之后对改开初期沉迷“男女有别、”“女性特质”知识分子的批判。结论部分表达对现今capitalism和社达的dominance表达不满和担忧，指出“阶级 ”的失语。不过还是更喜欢读普通农村妇女当干部、挣工分、织布的故事，这些研究是对本书很好的补充。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2018
I anticipated just reading a chapter or two for a paper, but ended up reading the entire book. Wang Zheng has a distinct opinion about women's position in China during (and after) the Mao period (yes, the title says 1949-1964, but it stretches past that towards the end).
Zheng delves deep into a few aspects of Socialist China to prove that women are subjugated and subordinated by the Party. I found the beginning very engaging with the inner workings of the ACWF and other minor women's groups. However, some parts tended to drag out due to reiteration of points (a bit of beating a dead horse with a bat) and not much movement through an array of ideas, but rather just a focus on one solid thought. The tediousness of certain parts left me feeling anxious to finish chapters at times, especially since her opening to each chapter states exactly what she seeks to prove and the end introduces the next idea. So, in essence, sometimes you get these two portions (conclusion of previous chapter and introduction of the chapter) pair with chapter itself to really say a lot without saying much.
If you are looking for a critical analysis of women's treatment during the 20th century, I'd read it. It's not too long, but the chapters stand well by themselves if you are looking to read about a specific topic Wang Zheng researched.
Zheng delves deep into a few aspects of Socialist China to prove that women are subjugated and subordinated by the Party. I found the beginning very engaging with the inner workings of the ACWF and other minor women's groups. However, some parts tended to drag out due to reiteration of points (a bit of beating a dead horse with a bat) and not much movement through an array of ideas, but rather just a focus on one solid thought. The tediousness of certain parts left me feeling anxious to finish chapters at times, especially since her opening to each chapter states exactly what she seeks to prove and the end introduces the next idea. So, in essence, sometimes you get these two portions (conclusion of previous chapter and introduction of the chapter) pair with chapter itself to really say a lot without saying much.
If you are looking for a critical analysis of women's treatment during the 20th century, I'd read it. It's not too long, but the chapters stand well by themselves if you are looking to read about a specific topic Wang Zheng researched.
January 14, 2023
I was planning to skim a chapter or two but ended up reading the whole thing. Wang Zheng has an enviable source base, and she tells the experiences of specific people in great detail and with a deep humanism. She offers keen insights into the working of politics, too. The book is moving and filled with useful historical knowledge.
December 29, 2023
By far one of my favorite history books I’ve ever read for a class. Wang Zheng is an incredible writer and historian. Her methods in this study are something I think all gender and women historians should pull from in there works. I especially enjoyed themes about politics of concealment that socialist state feminists would employ during the Maoist era, and even continue today under the dominant masculine state and continuing gendered hierarchy around the globe. Definitely a dense, academic read, but it is so well done and interesting!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews