Imagining Matriarchy
"Kingdoms of Women" in Tang China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4763985 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jennifer W Jay (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1996 |
| Volume | 116 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 220 |
| Publication date | 1996-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the American Oriental Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-0279 • E-ISSN: 2169-2289 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/605697 |
| OpenAlex | W2060705697 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
Traditional Chinese sources designated certain self-contained societies as kingdoms of women either on the grounds that no men were present in the population or that women served as heads of state. This paper seeks to identify and discuss the kingdoms of women as known in Tang China under two categories: (1) mythical kingdoms constructed by legend and imagination, and (2) historical kingdoms, located in western Tibet, Japan, and Korea, which did, in fact, interact with Tang China. In the light of current views on matriarchy, only the Chinese characterization of the Tibetan kingdom before the eighth century might be understood as pointing to a true matriarchy, in terms of female rule, matrilineal succession, and matrilocal residence. Despite the nearly contemporary reigns of China's only female emperor, Wu Zetian, Silla Korea's three ruling queens, and Yamato/Nara Japan's half-dozen empresses, none of these kingdoms of women can be understood as matriarchies, because women, in general, did not play a dominant role in the state or society
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Biology · Botany · China · Kingdom · Sociology · Chinese history and philosophy · Gender Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,57 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2021 (3) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |