Festivals, Feasts, and Gender Relations in Ancient China and Greece

Examines gender relations in ancient Chinese and Greek societies as reflected in convivial contexts such as banquets, festivals, and feasts.

Yiqun Zhou (Author)

9781107665507, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 October 2013

384 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.56 kg

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Gender studies, gender groups [JFSJ], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Asian history [HBJF]