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Women and Confucianism in Chosǒn Korea: New Perspectives
This volume offers a fresh, multifaceted exploration of women and Confucianism in mid- to late-Chosoán Korea (mid-sixteenth to early twentieth century). Using primary sources and perspectives from social history, intellectual history, literature, and political thought, contributors challenge unitary views of Confucianism as a system of thought, of women as a group, and of the relationship between the two.
Much earlier scholarship has focused on how women were oppressed under the strict patriarchal systems that emerged as Confucianism became the dominant social ideology during the Chosoán dynasty (1392–1910). Contributors to this volume bring to light the varied ways that diverse women actually lived during this era, from elite yangban women to women who were enslaved. Women are shown to have used various strategies to seek status, economic rights, and more comfortable spaces, with some women even emerging as Confucian intellectuals and exemplars.
Much earlier scholarship has focused on how women were oppressed under the strict patriarchal systems that emerged as Confucianism became the dominant social ideology during the Chosoán dynasty (1392–1910). Contributors to this volume bring to light the varied ways that diverse women actually lived during this era, from elite yangban women to women who were enslaved. Women are shown to have used various strategies to seek status, economic rights, and more comfortable spaces, with some women even emerging as Confucian intellectuals and exemplars.
- GenresNonfiction
178 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 12, 2021
I finished reading 'Women and Confucianism in Choson Korea' this month and found it both fascinating and totally difficult to read, haha. This is only because these are academic essays and I am only an amateur history buff, and no scholar. I read this for personal study.
I found the content and history within this book fascinating, and really loved it, even if some of the difficult to grasp Confucian context may have gone a little over my head.
I have been trying to understand a bit more about Joseon as a society based on Neo-Confucianism and how women fit into that framework. This was really my very first introduction to reading about Confucianism, so I probably should have started with a text that was more a beginner introduction, but actually, it is more Joseon women that I am interested in specifically, and so it was so interesting to read this book, which talks about how Joseon women worked with, and against, Confucianism to create a place for themselves in what was essentially a patriarchal state ideology.
Some of the essays in this book were easier to understand and more accessible for an amateur history buff like me, and others were more academic and took me a little while to work my way through. but I read the whole thing and loved learning about each topic covered in the essays.
Topics touched on in the book included female Neo-Confucianist scholars, widows, slaves, the ideal virtuous woman of the time and what was expected of her, information on educational texts to teach Confucianist ideals to women and also a fascinating essay on how the Imjin War (a devastating invasion of Joseon Korea in 1592, which lasted years) and the subsequent Manchu invasions (of which I know much less!) really changed the way society engaged with Confucianism in the latter half of the Joseon dynasty.
As this was my very first introduction to Neo-Confucianism in Joseon Korea ... I definitely still don't fully understand this very difficult topic, but I'll keep trying! I loved the experience of reading this book and I learned a lot.
I found the content and history within this book fascinating, and really loved it, even if some of the difficult to grasp Confucian context may have gone a little over my head.
I have been trying to understand a bit more about Joseon as a society based on Neo-Confucianism and how women fit into that framework. This was really my very first introduction to reading about Confucianism, so I probably should have started with a text that was more a beginner introduction, but actually, it is more Joseon women that I am interested in specifically, and so it was so interesting to read this book, which talks about how Joseon women worked with, and against, Confucianism to create a place for themselves in what was essentially a patriarchal state ideology.
Some of the essays in this book were easier to understand and more accessible for an amateur history buff like me, and others were more academic and took me a little while to work my way through. but I read the whole thing and loved learning about each topic covered in the essays.
Topics touched on in the book included female Neo-Confucianist scholars, widows, slaves, the ideal virtuous woman of the time and what was expected of her, information on educational texts to teach Confucianist ideals to women and also a fascinating essay on how the Imjin War (a devastating invasion of Joseon Korea in 1592, which lasted years) and the subsequent Manchu invasions (of which I know much less!) really changed the way society engaged with Confucianism in the latter half of the Joseon dynasty.
As this was my very first introduction to Neo-Confucianism in Joseon Korea ... I definitely still don't fully understand this very difficult topic, but I'll keep trying! I loved the experience of reading this book and I learned a lot.
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June 19, 2022okay i read like more or less half of it for my history essay, i might or might not finish reading it sometime later on so i'm just gonna mark it as finished. the articles i used (and those i didn't end up using) were really interesting but i had to read one of them like five times bc i couldn't get what the author was trying to tell me 😭 anyways, that's probably just bc i'm dumb
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November 25, 2025Dont mind me and my master thesis research... :^)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews