Towards a New National Female Identity

By contextualizing the role of women in sports within the broader framework of nationalism during modern China’s transformative era, this article explores a deeper understanding of how women’s participation in physical education and sports was instrumental in challenging traditional gender norms and promoting new visions of female empowerment as active contributors to the nation’s development. It aims to answer how nationalism in modern China contributed to the development and emancipation of women’s sports, how nationalism in modern China was constructed and expressed through the lens of women’s physical education and sports, and what limitations existed in the development of modern women’s sports under the influence of nationalism. By emphasizing the connection between women’s sports and nationalism, this article critically examines the intricate relationship between gender, sports, and the construction of national narratives. It adds depth to our understanding of the multifaceted ways in which sports serve as a means of political and cultural expression, and how women’s engagement in sports played a pivotal role in shaping nationalistic discourses and practices. In modern China, it is revealed that women’s involvement in sports challenged traditional gender norms and stereotypes, providing a platform for empowerment and agency within the context of nationalist movements

Aesthetics · Art · China · National identity · Nationalism · Pedagogy · Physical education · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Gender Studies · Law · Sports, Gender, and Society