Gendering Chinese Religion

Gendering Chinese Religion marks the emergence of a subfield on women, gender, and religion in China studies. Ranging from the medieval period to the present day, this volume departs from the conventional and often male-centered categorization of Chinese religions into Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and popular religion. It makes two compelling arguments. First, Chinese women have deployed specific religious ideas and rituals to empower themselves in various social contexts. Second, gendered perceptions and representations of Chinese religions have been indispensable to the historical and contemporary construction of social and political power. The contributors use innovative ways of discovering and applying a rich variety of sources, many previously ignored by scholars. While each of the chapters in this interdisciplinary work represents a distinct perspective, together they form a coherent dialogue about the historical importance, intellectual possibilities, and methodological protocols of this new subfield.

List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments

Introduction
Jinhua Jia, Xiaofei Kang, Ping Yao

Part I. Restoring Female Religiosity and Subjectivity

1. Tang Women in the Transformation of Buddhist Filiality
Ping Yao

2. Writing Oneself into the Tradition: The Autobiographical Sermon of Chen Master Jizong Xingche (b. 1606)
Beata Grant

3. Making Religion, Making the New Woman: Reading Su Xuelin’s Autobiographical NovelJixin (Thorny Heart)
Zhange Ni

Part II. Redefining Identity and Tradition

4. The Identity of Tang Daoist Priestesses
Jinhua Jia

5. RevisitingWhite-haired Girl: Women, Gender, and Religion in Communist Revolutionary Propoganda
Xiaofei Kang

6. Negotiating between Two Patriarchies: Chinese Christian Women in Postcolonial Hong Kong
Wai Ching Angela Wong

Part III. Recovering Bodily Differences

7. Birthing the Self: Metaphor and Transformation in Medieval Daoism
Gil Raz

8. Female Alchemy: Transformation of a Gendered Body
Elena Valussi

9. A Religious Menopausal Ritual: Changing Body, Identity, and Values
Neky Tak-ching Cheung


Bibliography
About the Contributors
Index