ABSTRACT
This chapter navigates the rise and development of women’s studies and the sociology of women/gender, two relatively new, interrelated academic fields, in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).1 Drawing from significant contemporary publications and research written primarily in Chinese by indigenous and diasporic Chinese scholars, we articulate the major contributions in the discipline building and transformation of local knowledge on gender and feminist scholarship to a non-Chinese-speaking readership. English materials are used if they are deemed relevant to the discussion. Women’s and gender studies in China are multidisciplinary and promoted by various actors, including academicians, research staff of the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF), staff of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) at various levels, and of the Party schools as well as activists in women’s nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).2 Given China’s vast land with great social, economic, geographic, and ethnic diversity, it is impossible to navigate and cover all studies of women and gender issues there. Hence, our review is specifically about the development of women’s studies in general and sociology of women/gender in particular, reflecting the intellectual effort of scholars and activists to create these two fields in China.
