Of footbinding, my colleague stephen west has this to say, in his characteristic deadpan manner. Cinderellas sisters quotes by dorothy ko goodreads. Cinderella s sistersargues that rather than stemming from sexual perversion, mens desire for bound feet was connected to larger concerns such as cultural. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
This revisionist history, elegantly written and meticulously researched, presents a fascinating new picture of the practice from its beginnings in the tenth century to its demise in the twentieth century. Neither condemning nor defending footbinding, dorothy ko debunks many myths and misconceptions about its origins, development, and eventual end, exploring in the process the entanglements of male power and female desires during the practice s thousandyear history. This book is awarded the joan kelley memorial prize from the american historical association for the best book. Dorothy ko university of california press, 2007 a selfproclaimed alternative history of the practice of footbinding in china, cinderellas sisters is a gratifyingly challenging book. A revisionist history of footbinding has been the standard work on the ancient practice for several years now. Foot binding was the custom of applying tight binding to the feet of young girls to modify the shape and size of their feet. Cinderella s sister s is the longawaited, definitive work on chinese footbinding in english. The practice possibly originated among upper class court dancers during the five. A unique look into the nineteenthcentury clash of empires from both sides of the earthshaking encounter, this book reveals the connections. A revisionist history of footbinding california, 2005, seeks to locate the practice of binding feet in the history of fashion and textile production.
A revisionist history of footbinding, dorothy ko points out that the chinese abolitionists were mainly men, and their core argument was aimed at the perceived. More recently, under the influence of feminism, there have been revisionist attempts to take a more positive view of footbinding. A revisionist history of footbinding by dorothy ko 2007, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. In cinderellas sisters she rises above nationalist, feminist, and orientalist polemic to place footbinding clearly in the domain of the history of fashion. A revisionist history of footbinding cinderella s sisters. Kos book, as the subtitle suggest, is a revisionist his. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the gu jin tan, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. A revisionist history of footbinding 9780520253902. Pdf every step a lotus download full pdf book download.
Kos premise is that footbinding was an embodied experience, a reality to a select group of women from the twelfth to the twentieth centuries. Genocide in the african country of sontaria causes a surge of. In cinderellas sisters she rises above nationalist, feminist, and orientalist polemic to place footbinding. Footbindingethnographic fiction part 2 authorstream presentation. If it available for your country it will shown as book. The shifting meanings of footbinding in seventeenthcentury china journal of womens history 4 1997 7 ko, dorothy cinderellas sisters.
In the three hundred years since its initial publication, li yu s the carnal prayer mat has been widely read in china, where it is recognized as a benchmark of erotic literature and currently enjoys the distinction of being a bannedinbeijing classic. View the new experience and read this book on fulcrum. The work also plugs into current concerns with the history of the body and of fashion. Lilienthal asian studies imprint first edition by dorothy ko isbn. It is actually writter in simple words and phrases rather than difficult to understand. It is a very different account that allows the reader to understand the real. Gender and sexuality in modern chinese history by susan l. The work also plugs into current concerns with the history of. The term liberation jiefang, usually granted a celebratory capital letter, is still commonly used in china to describe the communist partys victory in 1949. The practice originated in the dance culture of chinas medieval court and spread to gentry families, brothels, maids. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and. She is the author of the recent monograph, cinderellas sisters.
A revisionist history of footbinding by dorothy ko 140 ratings, 3. Conventional views of footbinding as patriarchal oppression often. Dorothy kos daring in taking on the difficult subject of footbinding has resulted in a tourdeforce. Cinderellas sisters by dorothy ko paperback university of. Cinderella s sisters argues that rather than stemming from sexual perversion. Oct 04, 2007 indeed, so prevalent has been its condemnation that footbinding has been an uncontroversial issue in the history of modern china. In the west, too, it was for decades a mainstay of academic writing, marking the absolute dividing line between the old china of backward practices and the new china of socialist modernity. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read.
A revisionist history of footbinding university of california press, 2005. On a subject that has engendered lengthy treatises, strong emotions, and endless fascination, i wish to emulate professor wests lack of sentimentality in this book even though his economy is beyond my reach. Lilienthal asian studies imprint dorothy ko download bok. Cinderellas sisters and footbinding breezes from wonderland.
Dorothy ko, a native of hong kong, is professor of chinese history at barnard college, columbia university. This is a book i have ran across through my research. The history of footbinding is full of contradictions and unexp. Lilienthal asian studies imprint 1 by dorothy ko isbn. After reading beverly jacksons splendid slippers, and searching the internet for images and articles, i decided to delve as deep as possible into a cultural history of the practice.
This book is awarded the joan kelley memorial prize from the american historical association for the best book on womens history or feminist theory published in the year. A revisionist history of footbinding cinderellas sisters. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. A revisionist history of footbinding or any other file from books category. The practice possibly originated among upper class court dancers during the five dynasties and ten kingdoms period in 10thcentury china, then gradually became popular among the elite during the song dynasty. Cinderellas sisters a revisionist history of footbinding. This revisionist history, elegantly written and meticulously.
Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. The history of footbinding is full of contradictions and unexpected turns. An insightful and extremely wellwritten book on a very difficult topic. Cinderellas sister s is the longawaited, definitive work on chinese footbinding in english.
As illusion, footbinding reveals womens sisterhood in responses to being objects of desire. In the three hundred years since its initial publication, li yus the carnal prayer mat has been widely read in china, where it is recognized as a benchmark of erotic literature and currently enjoys the distinction. Footbindingethnographic fiction part 2 authorstream. Dorothy ko the history of footbinding is full of contradictions and unexpected turns.
Dorothy kos book puts footbinding in as complete a context as i have encountered. What is lost in translation may be a war, a world, a way of life. This mantra, allegedly muttered in the early 20th century by a male professor amongst friends, is said to summarize the mystery of bound. The practice originated in the dance culture of china s medieval court and spread to gentry families, brothels, maid s quarters, and peasant households. Kos book, as the subtitle suggest, is a revisionist history of an unwritten story that explicitly seeks to disrupt received truths. A unique look into the nineteenthcentury clash of empires from both sides of the earthshaking encounter, this book reveals the connections between international law, modern warfare, and comparative grammarand their influence on the shaping of the modern world in eastern and western terms. Conventional views of footbinding as patriarchal oppression often neglect its complex history and the incentives of the women involved. In namola, the fund uses all its resources to build a stateoftheart facility and to move the refugees from their disease ridden camp on the border. This study offers a more complex explanation of a thousand year practice, contending that the binding of women s feet in china was sustained by the interests of both women and men.
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