Festivals, feasts, and gender relations in ancient China and Greece
By: Yiqun Zhou
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 373
ISBN-13: 9780521197625
Subjects: Festivals; Sex role; Fasts and feasts; History
Description: "Ancient China and Greece are two classical civilizations 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 organizing 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 sociopolitical 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 civilizations"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 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.