The Matriarch Speaks
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Imperial China was well acquainted with the formidable power of empress dowagers. By contrast, preimperial texts remain all but silent about the dowagers’ potential political impact except for rare interventions in succession struggles or interministerial cleavages. However, new paleographic evidence, drawn primarily from the Springs-and-Autumns period (Chunqiu 春秋, 770–453 BCE ), suggests a much stronger impact of matriarchs on the course of their polities. The paper addresses this new evidence, juxtaposes it with transmitted texts, primarily Zuozhuan 左傳, and assesses the reasons why assertive matriarchs’ voices are not reflected in Zuozhuan and other transmitted texts.
Source: NAN Nü
Author: Yuri Pines
Institutions: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Renmin University of China
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7196998568
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: