essay

The power and pollution of Chinese women

studies in chinese society • Stanford, Calif. • Published In 1978 • Pages: 269-290, 362-363

By: Ahern, Emily M..

Abstract

This essay considers the polluting or dangerous powers of women in the light of women's ambiguous social position and Taiwanese notions of ideal family structure. The key problem appears to be not one of popular belief in the inherent inferiority of women per se, but rather women's close association with substances that are ritually unclean (e.g., menstrual blood), and their status as outsiders in a kinship system focused on male lines of descent. Conditions in which women are thought to be dangerous or anomalous, such as during pregnancy, childbirth, and widowhood, are discussed in detail along with more general Chinese notions of clean and unclean bodily substances.

HRAF PubDate

1995

Region

Asia

Sub Region

East Asia

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

M. A. Marcus

Field Date

1969-1972

Coverage Date

not specified

Coverage Place

Ch'i-nan village, Taipei hsien, Hai-shan region, Taiwan

Notes

Emily M. Ahern

Includes bibliography

LCSH

Taiwanese