Gender, Power, and the Denial of Intimacy in Chinese Studies and Beyond

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2006

Publication Title

Reviews In Anthropology

Volume

35

Issue

4

First page number:

305

Last page number:

324

Abstract

This article identifies and critically examines four recurring concerns in writings on Chinese gender and sexuality: (1) Emphasis on extreme cases of women's suffering to produce a more dramatic effect. (2) Focus only one gender's perspective and disregard of the role of social class. (3) De-emphasis on men's place within the subjective domain and overlooking how emotional bonds unite couples. (4) Depiction of the erotic as simply the manifestation of prevailing sexual ideology, which encourages viewing male/female interaction as an exercise in power and dominance, and discourages interpretation of the erotic as an aesthetic experience.

Keywords

China; Darwinian anthropology; Emotions; Gender; Marriage

Disciplines

Anthropology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social and Cultural Anthropology

Language

English

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