Women in the New Taiwan: Gender Roles and Gender Consciousness in a Changing Society

Taiwan's rapid socio-economic and political transformation has given rise to a gender-conscious middle class that is attempting to redefine the roles of women in society, to restructure relationship patterns, and to organize in groups outside the family unit. This book examines internal psychological processes and external societal processes as the feminist movement in Taiwan expands and new gender roles are explored. The contributors represent a cross section of different disciplines - history, anthropology, and sociology - and different generations of China/Taiwan scholars. They place the issues facing Taiwan's women's movement in social, political, and economic contexts. The book examines gender relations, the role of women in Chinese society, and issues related to women in China throughout history. Feminism and gender relations are also viewed from the context of film and literature. The authors look at the contemporary roles that women play in Taiwan's work force today, how the sexes perceive each other in the workplace, and more.

Catherine Farris is a linguistic anthropologist who received the Ph.D. from the University of Washington and has taught at the Universities of Michigan, Northern Iowa, St. Edward's, and Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. She has been doing research on Taiwan since 1983 and has written numerous articles that cover topics including gender development in childhood, the nuances of male-female sociolinguistic interaction, and Taiwanese feminism as reflected in popular media. She now lives in Austin, Texas, where she is an independent trainer and consultant on cross-cultural communication, global diversity and greater China. For the 2004-2005 academic year, Catherine will be visiting Senior Lecturer at the University of Texas, Department of Asian Studies. Anru Lee did her Ph.D. work at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is now a member of the Department of Anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. She is the author of In the Name of Harmony and Prosperity: Labor and Gender Politics in Taiwan's Economic Restructuring (SUNY Press, 2004). Murray A. Rubinstein received his Ph.D. in history at New York University and has spent his academic career as a member of the History Department of Baruch College of the City University of New York. He is now chair of the Asian/AsianAmerican Studies Program at Baruch. He has written two monographs and edited four books on Christianity in China and Taiwan.