Associate Chinese Professor Xueping Zhong presented her research yesterday on the role of the women's liberation movement in shaping Chinese feminism.
The event, entitled "Women Can Hold Up Half the Sky: A 'Fourth-Told' Tale," was held in Sophia Gordon Hall and drew a crowd of about 40 professors and students.
During her presentation, Zhong read directly from a paper that she wrote for "Words and Their Stories," her forthcoming book.
The book will feature a collection of essays, each of which examines a single theme from political, social and cultural perspectives.
One such theme is the implications of former Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong's statement, "Women hold up half the sky."
According to Zhong, this phrase helped shape the women's liberation movement in China and shines a light on gender equality, even in the workplace.
"Following the liberation movement, women writers criticized this movement through arguments that it was utilitarian, blind towards female specificity, and that it failed to make Chinese women gender-conscious, but made them gender-blind instead," Zhong said. "Yet even with this criticism and several flaws in the system, what I'm arguing is that the opportunity for women to work was essential for Chinese women."
The presentation was followed by a dynamic question-and-answer session that included student and faculty participation.
Associate Political Science Professor Pearl Robinson asked Zhong whether she saw fit that Western feminism overshadows its counterparts in the rest of the world.
"Even though the Chinese women's liberation movement revolved around Chinese women, it was originally inspired by Western feminist philosophies that seem inherently hegemonic," Zhong answered.
Associate English Professor Modhumita Roy added to Zhong's response.
"Western feminism is inherently hegemonic because so many publishing houses are based in the West," she said. As a result, she said that there is an inherent information monopoly.
Audience members seemed to enjoy the presentation.
"[She] spoke of a subject that I had no prior knowledge of," senior Brooke Giles said. "As a feminist, you need to be aware of other cultures and where foreign governments are going with their usage of feminism."
Graduate student Lai Ying Yu had a similar reaction.
"Before coming to this presentation, I had never given much thought to the women's liberation movement in China," she said. "But it was fascinating to hear all about the conflict between the women's labor movement and the suppression of women's femininity and sexuality."
The event was part of the Fourth Annual Women's Studies Research Colloquium. Zhong's presentation marks the second of the three presentations that comprise the event.
"While the speakers come from different academic departments, the research that they present here is gender-based," said Roy, who is the chief organizer of the colloquium.
In September, Robinson and senior Kia Alston kicked off the three-part series by introducing their joint research in a talk entitled "Islam and Female Empowerment among the Tijaniyya in Niger."
English Professor Carol Flynn will give the colloquium's final talk on Nov. 26 in a presentation titled "Girls' Books." This will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Sophia Gordon.
