Confucianism and Feminism

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Confucianism is one of the major philosophical traditions in East Asia; it has contributed to the philosophical foundation of East Asian people’s understanding of the world, including sex, gender and sexuality. Confucian ideas of women and gender faced an unprecedented challenge from feminism at the beginning of the twentieth century. This course examines the history of the encounter between Confucianism and feminism with a special focus on Korea, which is known as the “most Confucian part of the world.” Students will explore Confucian views on women, (Western and East Asian) feminist critiques, and more recent revisionist scholarship. The body of material covered in the course will include written works from a wide variety of disciplines: philosophy, history, literature, etc. and also visual resources. Toward the end, the possibilities of Confucian feminism and feminist Confucianism will be explored. Conducted in English.