Gender Dynamics, Feminist Activism and Social Transformation in China

This book explores the extent to which women have been initiators, mobilizers, and driving forces of social transformation in China. The book considers how conceptions of women’s roles have changed as China has moved from state socialism to engagement with capitalist globalization, examines the growth of women’s gender and sexual consciousness and social movements for women’s rights, including for marginalized social and sex/gender grouops, and discusses women’s roles in society-state interactions, including many forms of social activism, cultural events, educational innovations, and more. Overall, the book demonstrates that women have not simply been passive receivers of the consequences of the forces of global capitalism, but that they have had a profound, active impact on social transformation in China.

Guoguang Wu is Professor of Political Science, Professor of History, and Chair in China and Asia-Pacific Relations at University of Victoria, Canada

Yuan Feng is Professor of Women’s Studies and Founding Director of the Center for Women’s Studies at Shantou University, China.

Helen Lansdowne is Associate Director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at University of Victoria, Canada.