Mencius and Masculinities

Joanne D. Birdwhistell

Description

In this innovative work, Joanne D. Birdwhistell presents the first gender analysis of the Mencius, a central text in the Chinese philosophical tradition. Mencian philosophy, particularly its ideas about the processes by which a man could develop into a cultivated gentleman, was important to the political thought of China's long imperial order. Through close textual readings, Birdwhistell offers a new interpretation of core Mencian ideas about the heart and the self-cultivation of the great man. She argues that the concept of masculinity advocated by the Mencius is derived, although without acknowledgment, from maternal practices and thinking—through processes of appropriation, inversion, and transformation. She illustrates that even though maternal practices and thinking are an invisible dimension of Mencian thought, they are constantly present in the text through their transcoding with agricultural practices and thinking.
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. Hidden in Plain View: Questions, Issues, and Perspectives

2. Text as Cultural Landscape

3. Against Shen Nong’s Agrarian Masculinity

4. Against King Hui’s Self-centered Masculinity

5. Compassionate Governing: Dynamics, References, and Practices

6. Ruling as Son and Younger Brother

7. Ruling as Father and Mother of the People

8. Mothers, Feelings, and Masculinity

9. Gender, A Continuing Issue

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• East Asian religions
• Confucianism

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791480380
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

M E N C I U SM A S C U L I N I T I E S A N D

SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture

Roger T. Ames, editor

MENCIUSAND MASCULINITIES

Dynamics of Power, Morality, and Maternal Thinking

Joanne D. Birdwhistell

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

In memory of my moter and my fater

and for my sisters Claire and Jamie

and our next generation, Carrie, Julie, Winona, Melina, and Zacary

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Gender, A Continuing Issue

Ruling as Son and Younger Brother

Chapter Five Compassionate Governing: Dynamics, References, and Practices

89

Ruling as Father and Mother of the People

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Mothers, Feelings, and Masculinity

Against Shen Nong’s Agrarian Masculinity

141 149 155

133

Chapter One Hidden in Plain View: Questions, Issues, and Perspectives

Introduction

Acknowledgments

39

63

ix

7

Chapter Two

Chapter Four

Chapter Three

vii

Text as Cultural Landscape

Contents

1

Notes Bibliography Index

Against King Hui’s Selfcentered Masculinity51

111

21

75

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Acknowledgments

his work represents my efforts to bring togeter two separate fields of knowledge in wic I ave long been interested—Cinese pilosopy and feminist teory. I studied Cinese pilosopy during bot my under- graduate and graduate years. My experiences wile teacing at he Ric- ard Stockton College of New Jersey led me into additional areas, beyond my earlier grounding in Asian studies. I tank my Stockton colleagues, especially Rodger Jackson and Anne Pomeroy, and my students for teir encouragement of my intellectual journeys. Altoug most of te views and arguments of tis study were worked out in my classes at Stockton, two papers tat I presented discussed ear- lier versions of some of tese ideas. I tank Bruce Brooks and is associ- ates for te opportunity to present my paper, “he Maternal inMencius,” at te Warring States Conference, University of Massacusetts, Amerst, MA, October 13–14, 2000. I also tank Columbia University for te op- portunity to present my paper, “Gender Matters inMencius: he Hid- den? Dimension of Maternal Teacings in Confucian hougt,” at te Neo-Confucian Regional Seminar, Columbia University, New York, NY, November 3, 2000. In addition, I am indebted to Stockton College for aving provided me wit a sabbatical during wic I was able to begin tis study full time. I ave learned muc from my colleagues and friends in te fields of Cinese studies and Western pilosopy, and I tank tem all for teir ideas and teir efforts to promote a global conversation in piloso- py. Finally, I wis to tank Roger T. Ames for is leadersip in te field of comparative pilosopy and te two readers wo reviewed my manu- script for SUNY Press and offered elpful suggestions and comments. I take full responsibility, owever, for te interpretations tat I offer ere.

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