Festivals, Feasts, and Gender Relations in Ancient China and Greece
Festivals, Feasts, and Gender Relations in Ancient China and Greece
Ancient China and Greece are two classical civilisations that have exerted far-reaching influence in numerous areas of human experience and are often invoked as the paradigms in East-West comparison. This book examines gender relations in the two ancient societies as reflected in convivial contexts such as family banquets, public festivals, and religious feasts. Two distinct patterns of interpersonal affinity and conflict emerge from the Chinese and Greek sources that show men and women organising themselves and interacting with each other in social occasions intended for collective pursuit of pleasure. Through an analysis of the two different patterns, Yiqun Zhou illuminates the different socio-political mechanisms, value systems, and fabrics of human bonds in the two classical traditions. Her book will be important for readers who are interested in the comparative study of societies, gender studies, women's history, and the legacy of civilisations.
- Adds an important new dimension to the comparison of ancient Greece and China by examining family and gender roles
- Features a broad range of primary sources including lyric poetry, epic, comedy, bronze inscriptions, and ritual texts
- Will appeal to anyone interested in the comparative study of societies, gender studies, women's history, and the legacy of civilisations
Product details
October 2013Paperback
9781107665507
384 pages
229 × 152 × 22 mm
0.56kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Part I. Among Men:
- 1. Greece: comrades, citizens, and boys
- 2. China: ancestors, brothers, and sons
- Part II. Between Men and Women, among Women:
- 3. Public festivals and domestic rites
- 4. At the table and behind the scenes
- Part III. Female Experience and Male Imagination:
- 5. What women sang of
- Conclusion.
