Labelling state feminism
The discursive construction of female actors at the China National Museum of Women and Children
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21749129 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zixin Pan (0000-0002-8623-286X, University of Leeds, corresponding author), Stephen Goulding (0000-0001-7526-915X, University of Nottingham Ningbo China) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Museums & Social Issues (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1559-6893 • E-ISSN: 2051-6193 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15596893.2026.2684585 |
| OpenAlex | W7167815233 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
This article critically examines how state feminism is discursively constructed by the China National Museum of Women and Children (CNMWC), a state-controlled institution administered by the All-China Women’s Federation. Drawing on van Leeuwen’s framework for the representation of social actors and Ravelli’s approach to museum texts, the study conducts a comparative critical discourse analysis of two CNMWC exhibitions: one focused on historical representations of Chinese women, the other on contemporary female roles in the People’s Republic of China. While the contemporary exhibition introduces more agentive portrayals than its historical counterpart, the analysis reveals how the CNMWC employs discursive strategies that simultaneously promote women’s visibility and constrain their autonomy by aligning female agency with state-defined purposes. By situating the CNMWC within broader debates on feminist museology and Chinese state feminism, this article demonstrates how museums function as ideological instruments in the discursive (re)production of state-sanctioned gender roles in contemporary China
Agency (philosophy) · China · Critical discourse analysis · Exhibition · Feminism · Ideology · State (computer science) · Contemporary and Historical Greek Studies · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Museology · Museums and Cultural Heritage
Gendered Bodies
Gendered Memories
Museums, Prejudice and the Reframing of Difference
Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method
Discourse and Practice
Museums in China
Museums and the Shaping of Knowledge
Feminism and the museum in Australia
Gender diversity and inclusive representation as a means to decolonise museums
Museums and Feminist Matters
Museums and nationalism in contemporary China
Where Feminism Lies
Chinese Feminisms Encounter International Feminisms
Purpose’ and the Adaptation of Authoritarian Institutions
Museums as Agents of Social Inclusion
Redressing the Museum in Feminist Theory
Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis
Seeing through Solidity
Women's Education in Traditional and Modern China
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |