首页>課程>[CHES5101] Selected Themes on Gender in China>

This course takes an anthropological perspective to debate a general human category, gender, in the context of contemporary Chinese society. Through this approach, the course will show how the notion of gender is largely a sociocultural product. The anthropological approach helps us contemplate taken-for-granted beliefs regarding gender and sexuality. Gender politics in essence address differences and inequality. Reflecting upon how gender became a category of analysis for anthropologists, we bring to the fore the relationship between culture and power. Students will explore material, economic, political, and sociocultural factors that underpin such processes of construction. This course will start by introducing core concerns, arguments, and approaches related to gender and sexuality in China. After the introductory sessions, we will focus, week by week, on common (or controversial) gender and sexual issues we encounter in our daily lives. Students are encouraged to examine their own gender identities and beliefs critically; to not only understand how our gender assumptions are shaped but also to develop one’s own gender statements.

What is Gender, and Why do We Study Gender?: An Anthropological Approach to Gender and Sexuality

Performing Chinese Femininities

The Hybridity and Pluralism of Contemporary Chinese Masculinities

Gender and the Chinese State

Gender, Marriage, Power and Resistance

Empowerment or New Forms of Exploitation?: Gendered Mobility in Contemporary China

Gender, Class, and Work

Gender, Body and Consumption

Gender, Aging and Caregiving

Gender, Eating and Cooking

Romancing and Queering the Cyberspace: Gender and the Charm of “Beautiful Men”

Gender, Feminism and the Future: Alternatives and Challenges