Women and China's Revolutions

by Gail Hershatter

If we place women at the center of our account of China's last two centuries, how does this change our understanding of what happened? This deeply knowledgeable book illuminates the places where the Big History of recognizable events intersects with the daily lives of ordinary people, using gender as its analytic lens. Leading scholar Gail Hershatter asks how these events affected women in particular, and how women affected the course of these events. For instance, did women have a 1911 revolution? A socialist revolution? If so, what did those revolutions look like? Which women had them?

Hershatter uses two key themes to frame her analysis. The first is the importance of women's visible and invisible labor. The labor of women in domestic and public spaces shaped China's move from empire to republic to socialist nation to rising capitalist power. The second is the symbolic work performed by gender itself. What women should do and be was a constant topic of debate during China's transformation from empire to weak state to partially occupied territory to nascent socialist republic to reform-era powerhouse. What sorts of concerns did people express through the language of gender? How did that language work, and why was it so powerful?

Drawing on decades of Hershatter's groundbreaking scholarship and mastery of a range of literatures, this beautifully written book will be essential reading for all students of China's modern history.

Genres: China, History, Nonfiction, Feminism, Read For School, Politics, Economics

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 4, 2018

Reviews

[Leah Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used this as one textbook for a class, but I enjoyed reading it for the way it educated on political and societal events in the span of China's revolutions, and of course for the centering on women and their role.

[Leo46 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing framework to center a historical analysis around (how China's history changes if we tell it from the politico-social effects and contributions on/by women), giving notable accounts of leftism by women far before any of the famous men. The anarchist women in the first few chapters stand out blatantly and really make you wonder how their anti-capitalist consciousness was constructed in peasant/empire China, making it all the more impressive. Otherwise, Hershatter still has her liberal assumptions and pretensions, which makes it all the more interesting (and maybe alarming) that there was so little devoted to the actually revolutionary times in China this book covers. It was basically a mere 1-3 pages for Land Reform, the Great Leap Forward, and the GPCR respectively all with very positive outcomes or contributions by women--coincidentally going against most imperialist propaganda; it felt as if she limited what she said or placed here... Mostly, a great read and refreshing angle for anyone interested in a different telling of Modern Chinese History.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

read this for a class, gave it a middle rating - neutral about the topic, but if gender in chinese history is your thing then it’s worth it!

[Rosie K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Women and Gender in Chinese History (Spring 2021).

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woof. This was a dense history with a lot of threads, but I really appreciated the thesis that women as the center of the family have been foundational to China's statemaking projects for at least two centuries; it's a new way of looking at the world. Also, this book was the first time I really understood "home economics>" as an economic project.

[Mills College Library]

305.40951 H5723 2019

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at Chinese history through a gender lens. Definitely worth the read.

[The One and Only Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, wished there was a little more Big History but I get it. Great inclusion of primary sources and makes me never want to read anything that's not a womens history.