Confucian Feminism - (Bloomsbury Introductions to World Philosophies) by Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In Confucian Feminism Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee expands the theoretical horizons of feminism by using characteristic Confucian terms, methods, and concerns to interrogate the issue of gender oppression and liberation.

With its theoretical roots in the Confucian textual tradition, this is the first re-imagining of Confucianism that enriches, and is enriched by, feminism.

Incorporating distinctive Confucian conceptual tools such as ren (benevolent governance), xiao (filial care), you (friendship), li (ritual), and datong (great community), Rosenlee creates an ethic of care that is feminist and Confucian. At the same time she confronts the issue of gender inequity in Confucian thought. Her hybrid feminist theory not only broadens the range of feminist understandings of the roots of gender oppression, but opens up what we believe constitutes gender liberation for women transnationally and transculturally.

Here is a practical ethic that uses Confucianism to navigate the contours of inequality in everyday life.

Review Quotes

"Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee directly challenges philosophers fixated on 'the Western Canon' who have ignored and undervalued the contributions that can be made to the discipline by 'wisdom traditions' assumed to be mired in the past. Confucian philosophy is presented in a way that reveals its contemporary relevance to a range of philosophical issues, from feminism and ethics to politics and social welfare. Of special note is the ardent argument offered for Confucian care ethics to relieve the burdens placed on women as care givers while revitalizing our eroding commitment to social cohesion amid rampant individualism." --Sandra A. Wawrytko, Professor of Philosophy, San Diego State University, USA

"A stimulating, intriguing and the one of its own kind academic and personal testimony: how to be and what means to be a Confucian Feminist. A progressive, inventive and hybridized vision is sharply and acutely originated and revealed." --Robin R. Wang, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola Marymount University, USA

"If the objective of theorizing our practices is to make them more intelligent and productive, then Lisa Rosenlee's Confucian Feminism: A Practical Ethic for Life accomplishes as much for Confucian philosophy. And if symbiosis as an optimizing of our lived experience is an underlying premise in Confucian philosophy, then Rosenlee's argument that Confucianism must be progressive and evolutionary is compelling." --Roger T. Ames, Humanities Chair Professor, Peking University, China

"In a daring move, Lisa Rosenlee constructs a Confucian feminism to address contemporary challenges. This book advances the discourse of Confucianism and feminism to new heights, marking an important development for both Confucianism and feminism." --Chenyang Li, Professor of Philosophy, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

"Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee's brilliant work is at once deeply Confucian, deeply feminist, and yet not bound by the prior contours of either tradition. Her wide-ranging and artful theorizing, directed toward envisioning a liberatory future for us all, is truly an example of the best of contemporary comparative philosophy." --Sarah A. Mattice, Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of North Florida

A stimulating, intriguing and the one of its own kind academic and personal testimony: howto be and whatmeans to be a Confucian Feminist. A progressive, inventive and hybridized vision is sharply and acutely originated and revealed.
Robin R. Wang, Professor of Philosophy, Loyola Marymount University, USA

If the objective of theorizing our practices is to make them more intelligent and productive, then Lisa Rosenlee's Confucian Feminism: A Practical Ethic for Life accomplishes as much for Confucian philosophy. And if symbiosis as an optimizing of our lived experience is an underlying premise in Confucian philosophy, then Rosenlee's argument that Confucianism must be progressive and evolutionary is compelling.
Roger T. Ames, Humanities Chair Professor, Peking University, China

Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee directly challenges philosophers fixated on 'the Western Canon' who have ignored and undervalued the contributions that can be made to the discipline by 'wisdom traditions' assumed to be mired in the past. Confucian philosophy is presented in a way that reveals its contemporary relevance to a range of philosophical issues, from feminism and ethics to politics and social welfare. Of special note is the ardent argument offered for Confucian care ethics to relieve the burdens placed on women as care givers while revitalizing our eroding commitment to social cohesion amid rampant individualism.
Sandra A. Wawrytko, Professor of Philosophy, San Diego State University, USA

About the Author

Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hawai'i - West O'ahu, USA. She is the author of Confucianism and Women: A Philosophical Interpretation (2006). Her entry of "Gender in Confucian Philosophy" is published in the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (2023).