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Birth in Ancient China
Constance A. Cook and Xinhui Luo
2017
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Using newly discovered and excavated texts, Constance A. Cook and Xinhui Luo systematically explore material culture, inscriptions, transmitted texts, and genealogies from BCE China to reconstruct the role of women in social reproduction in the ancient Chinese world. Applying paleographical, linguistic, and historical analyses, Cook and Luo discuss fertility rituals, birthing experiences, divine conceptions, divine births, and the overall influence of gendered supernatural agencies on the experience and outcome of birth. They unpack a cultural paradigm in which birth is not only a philosophical symbol of eternal return and renewal but also an abiding religious and social focus for lineage continuity. They also suggest that some of the mythical founder heroes traditionally assumed to be male may in fact have had female identities. Students of ancient history, particularly Chinese history, will find this book an essential complement to traditional historical narratives, while the exploration of ancient religious texts, many unknown in the West, provides a unique perspective into the study of the formation of mythology and the role of birthing in early religion.
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Keywords
- Asian Studies
- Chinese Religion and Philosophy
- Chinese Studies
- Gender Studies
- History
- thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHC Ancient history
- thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHF Asian history
- Women's Studies
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