Sexism and Confucianism

It's day twelve of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

At Leftist Looney Lunchbox, Donna Darko has been posting on this subject with regularity. Not surprisingly, one post in particular caught my attention:

A couple weeks ago, BFP posted The Asian Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence Fact Sheet.

These studies are linked to the U.S. Department of Justice so I assume they're reliable. I've read a number of similar studies over the past year. The lack of data makes it hard to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence in the APIA community but we can extrapolate from the studies that exist.

Cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and political barriers prevent Asian women from seeking help so the magnitude of the problem is greater than studies indicate.

There is a high prevalence of domestic violence in Asian communities. 41-60% of respondents reported experiencing physical and/or sexual domestic violence during their lifetime. This fact sheet indicates 60% of Korean American women experience physical abuse by an intimate partner sometime in their lives. 57% of Japanese American women experience an intimate partner’s physical violence by age 49. 47% of Vietnamese American women experience intimate physical violence and 30% experienced violence in that year. 40.8% of South Asian American women reported that they had been physically and/or sexually abused in some way by their current male partners and 36.9% reported having been victimized in that year.

Asian American women also have one of the highest domestic violence fatality rates in the nation. 31% (16 out of 51 cases) of women killed in domestic violence-related deaths from 1993-1997 in California’s Santa Clara County were Asian, although Asians comprised only 17.5% of the county’s population. 13% of women and children killed in domestic violence-related homicides in Massachusetts in 1991 were Asian although Asians represented only 2.4% of the population in the state. 6% of women killed by their abusers in Massachusetts in 1998 were Asian, a four-year low. During the same year requests for services to the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence increased by 36%. 63 separate reports of murder and attempted murder of South Asian women in the U.S. and Canada between the years 1981 and 2000 were compiled from ethnic and local newspapers and this was not an exhaustive compilation. Although the majority of victims were women, the women’s children and relatives were also killed in these domestic-violence related homicides, some of which were murder-suicides.

There are cultural, individual and institutional barriers confronting Asian American women who are victims of violence.

The report, "(Un)heard Voices: Domestic Violence in the Asian American Community" from the Family Violence Prevention Fund calls for effective, culturally competent, national strategies to address domestic violence, raise public awareness and end abuse.

It stresses the need for resources and services for battered Asian American women that are available in all Asian languages. Other recommendations included providing cultural sensitivity and awareness training for law enforcement professionals and developing law enforcement protocol to address the needs of battered Asian American women, developing policies specifically designed to address racism towards battered Asian American women in social service institutions, making specialized immigration services available and easily accessible to Asian American women and providing battered women's shelters and services to all victims of domestic violence regardless of their immigration status, providing funding for Asian American domestic violence programs and services, including funding for community outreach and education programs, training Asian language interpreters on domestic violence and the issues faced by battered Asian American women, and including battered Asian American women's advocates in an advisory capacity for all national, state and local domestic violence initiatives.

Donna D frequently rails against the lack of intersectional activism in the struggles against sexism and racism, and when you look at data this devastating, I can see why. Many of the most celebrated activists in the Asian American community are women, and when they tackle racism the community easily gets behind their work; but when it comes to sexism, both men and women — but especially men — all too often lose interest. As a result we have this invisible epidemic of domestic abuse doing tremendous damage to the community.

It is admittedly a complex issue. To begin with, more Asian American women born in the US marry white men than they do Asian American men, so I'm not sure how to work that fact into a critique of sexism and racism within Asian American culture (and there's no doubt in my mind that non-Asian men abuse Asian American women with atrocious frequency, propelled to some extent or other by the hypersexualized objectification of Asian women in mass media). Of course the very notion of "Asian American culture" is entirely nebulous. Moreover, it's tempting to link the emasculation of Asian men in US pop culture to this rash of gender violence as some sort of pop-psych blowback effect.

However, one thing I can talk about with some confidence is the sexism that is explicitly codified in many tenets of Confucianism. Now this is not an invitation for non-Asian folks to gape at the backwardness of Asian culture, so let's just get that out of the way; I'm not interested in comparing which civilizations and cultures are more or less sexist, because as far as I can see sexism manifests differently in different contexts and the only people with a clear interest in flouting these comparisons are imperialists seeking to mask their destructive racist agendas. But this is a conversation we need to pursue within the Asian American community, and I don't want to allow racists to derail it.

Confucianism is the bedrock of East Asian culture. There are many aspects of Confucianism that have served Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese culture remarkably well for 2,500 years (I call these four nations "the chopstick-wielders" because of their cultural and historical connectedness, right down to eating implements). The system of secular ethics; the emphasis on education, art, health, and inner and outer cultivation; the concepts of balance between the individual and society, and of harmony between humanity and nature; these are profound contributions to world civilization which deserve some credit in the longstanding and ongoing flourishing of East Asia. When you grow up in a Confucian household, you hear pithy proverbs your entire life; there's a proverb for every conceivable human situation; and these proverbs form a rich body of wisdom. But as I see it, the flagrant sexism built into many Confucian tenets and practices, and the rigidity of many codified social hierarchies, must be expunged from East Asian culture, period.

Confucianism must re-constitute itself as a living tradition in the 21st century, in a manner perhaps similar to the Neo-Confucian movement of the Tang and Sung dynasties (7th to 12th centuries CE) and the New Confucian movement of 20th century socialism. During the Neo-Confucian movement, Taoism and Buddhism heavily influenced thinkers to re-focus their doctrines on a more spiritual, less ceremonial vision of the individual and the cosmos. Taoism, with its premises of balancing Yin and Yang, seems especially relevant here. If Yin and Yang are to exist in balance, then the patriarchal order which has embedded itself into Confucian thought must be corrected, from the notions surrounding the special role of the "eldest son", to the system of "obediences", to the acceptable reasons for divorce (this one is key in addressing domestic abuse), to the traditions of inheritance. As long as these institutions remain in place, I don't think we'll be able to properly fight the epidemic of domestic violence Donna D writes about up top, because this backdrop of generally accepted sexism helps make this issue invisible and generates an atmosphere of apathy around directly combating gender violence.

This topic probably deserves an entire book, and I can't really delve into lots of details in this meager little blog post. But consider these few paragraphs a challenge to all members of Confucian cultures around the world to confront and eliminate sexism in our thinking, our practices, our communities. It's holding us back. It's masking widespread abuse of girls and women. It's misaligned with the very concepts of harmony which Confucianism propounds. It's wrong. Yes, this involves rewriting many cherished texts and reworking or discarding many cherished proverbs and customs. And yes, it involves heeding prescriptive and proactive remedies such as those listed in the last paragraph of Donna Darko's post. Indeed, as this entire 16 Days initiative shows, there are countless forms of activism already being pursued by Asian American women and other women of color, efforts which Asian American men and all men of color need to get behind. The statistics above show that this is a serious crisis; the toxicity of sexism has poisoned our communities for too long; it can't wait any longer.

Comments

[Katie]

I see this sexism justified in Korean American communities, often through Christian rhetoric. If it ain't one thing...

[Kai]

Hi Katie, ahhh yes the Christian movement among Asian cultures is a whole other thing I could write about at some length from a post-colonial perspective...you're right, if it ain't this, then it's that, or the other, or...

[Nightprowlkitty]

I read a great book on Confucianism, "An Introduction to Confucianism," by Xinzhong Yao, that says much of what you do about the influence of taoism and Buddhism on Confucianism, as well as calling for a 21st Century Confucianism.

I have studied the I-Ching for many years and still sometimes get a little confused when I receive a line that says "this is good fortune for a woman, misfortune for a man," and there are several line judgments of that nature.

I think culture most likely affects the method of how a man would abuse a woman, but at the root of this behavior there is a commonality that transcends culture. It does help, though, to get at that root by knowing the culture and methods which may flow out of that culture.

[donna darko]

Thanks for this post!

I heard at last year's NAPAWF conference, Helen Zia said APIAs have to get rid of their Confucian thinking. It doesn't only reinforce gender hierarchies but racial ones.

The closest stats I have on out marriage come from Asian-Nation. 41% of 1.5 and 2nd generation married APIA women were married to white men, 50% to APIA men. More were married to APIA than white men. 30% of 1.5 and 2nd generation married APIA men were married to white women, 60% to APIA women.

Also, I'm sure some of the victims are mail order brides, for lack of a better term.

[donna darko]

Many of the most celebrated activists in the Asian American community are women, and when they tackle racism the community easily gets behind their work;

No one educates about Asian racial stereotypes like Carmen of Racialicious and Jenn of Reappropriate.

but when it comes to sexism, both men and women — but especially men — all too often lose interest.

LOL. It's women too. Jenn has written about ten posts on sexism (out of hundreds of posts) and each time the community went ballistic.

[brownfemipower]

Kai--remember a long time ago when i asked why men of color aren't talking about masculinity and being colored and what that means within the larger context of things?

I had flashbacks when reading this--I hope that this is the beginning of some really great conversations between us women of color and men of color.

much respect--

[Kai]

Nightprowlkitty, yeah the I Ching is a perfect example of the kind of "cherished text" I mentioned which needs to be reworked. The wisdom can be preserved, without the sexism, right? I haven't read the Yao book, will have to check it out. By the way, any thoughts on the quote in my sidebar from hexagram 9? ;-)

Donna Darko, yeah I can imagine Helen Zia talking about this. I'll have to see if I can dig anything up she's written specifically on Confucianism. Thanks for the additional stats and thoughts, and for triggering this post with yours!

BFP, yup, I remember that exchange, have not forgotten it, am still working on it, in fact. I also hope this is the beginning of more fruitful conversations. And damn, I must say that for someone who's "not blogging", you've been putting up some really amazing stuff lately!

Peace.

[donna darko]

Though Taoism's yin and yang essentialize masculinity and femininity.

1.5 and 2nd generation APIAs are a relatively small segment of the population. Overall, 78% of married APIA women are married to APIA men, 91% of married APIA men are married to APIA women so DV is a problem within the community. There's no reason to think 1.5 and 2nd gen APIAs experience more DV but studies show they're more likely to report it.

[donna darko]

Google:

Zia's inspiration led her to one of her main focuses: the importance of raising one's voice. She explained how her differing roles in her family and in her society provided her with the will raise her voice which, in turn, allowed her change her world and to mold an independent identity. Zia contributed her inability to grow initially as an independent woman to the three obediences of Confucius. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Zia learned that the daughter obeys the father, the wife obeys the husband, and the widow obeys her sons. But knowing that that she could not live her life under such constraints, Zia found the passage to her independence through a college education. By telling the story of how she almost did not go to college, Zia revealed the importance of bring heard. She explained how the very first time she spoke up against her father was when he would not grant her permission to go to college. But after expressing her desire for education and experience, her father gave his consent. Zia reflected how "In that small act of disobedience, I learned that you sometimes have to turn off the voices that tell you what you can and can't do." Zia also realized that if she wanted to be heard and seen, she had to make herself heard and seen; therefore, she had to become active in her life and her identity.

[Nightprowlkitty]

Kai, yes, one of the first things I noticed when I visited your blog was No. 9 posted at the top -- as well your wonderful pictures of Tibet!

I always have a hard time when I draw that hexagram, as I am not a very patient person and "The Taming Power of the Small" counsels both patience and the kind of strength that can abide in awareness until the time is right to move forward. That is a difficult concept for me to follow even as I see the usefulness of it.

I absolutely think the I-Ching has wisdom that transcends the sexism that is implied in some of the text. I often think of "woman within, man without" as parts of my own consciousness, not two separate people. It also appears to be speaking of content within, form without. Same with Confucianism, I think it can be infused with new blood as well. Frankly, I think a lot of the more egregious aspects of Confucianism came about long after Confucius died, i.e., families bankrupting themselves to pay for their elders' funerals, etc.

I also think this infusion of new blood is very much in keeping with what Donna has written about Zia. Sometimes you have to challenge and break free of a hidebound tradition in order to forge new paths on the Way. Zai brings to mind "Revolution" -- "A well must be cleaned out from time to time or it will become clogged with mud ... REVOLUTION ... showing the need of changes in long-established institutions, in order to keep them from stagnating." And Zia's line, for me, would be the ruling line (with one editorial emendation): "The great woman changes like a tiger/Even before she questions the oracle/She is believed."

[nezua]

such beautiful philosophies should definitely be purififed to the highest.

maybe you are a small part of the neo-neo-confucianist thought writers now. :]

[M]

During the Neo-Confucian movement, Taoism and Buddhism heavily influenced thinkers to re-focus their doctrines on a more spiritual, less ceremonial vision of the individual and the cosmos. Taoism, with its premises of balancing Yin and Yang, seems especially relevant here. If Yin and Yang are to exist in balance, then the patriarchal order which has embedded itself into Confucian thought must be corrected, from the notions surrounding the special role of the "eldest son", to the system of "obediences", to the acceptable reasons for divorce (this one is key in addressing domestic abuse), to the traditions of inheritance. As long as these institutions remain in place, I don't think we'll be able to properly fight the epidemic of domestic violence Donna D writes about up top, because this backdrop of generally accepted sexism helps make this issue invisible and generates an atmosphere of apathy around directly combating gender violence.

I love this point 'cause it calls attention to the fact that even though institutions make efforts to move into secularity (in that they stop overt observance of religious tenets to guide governance), some of the covert, dogmatic decrees remain and can continue to cause problems. I'm not saying that there's something wrong with spirituality playing a role in someone's moral decisions. However, when these traditions square up with basic notions of human equality and relationships -- here, it would be intimate relationships -- the institutions unwittingly default to principles that pervert our sense of love and human equality. So we do need the multifaceted approach you introduce with the points you make in this post: raising a critical eye to the spiritual and cultural influences on the institutions we still rely upon, grassroots efforts to offer assistance and education to people experiencing these problems day to day, and working together and dialoguing to find new ways of governance and living. And no matter what, the observance and criticism should be done out of respect...else we won't get very far, y'know?

Annnnnywho, this is the long way of me saying I really appreciate this entry and the direction it's taking. Can't wait to read more. :)

[donna darko]

This sure is a refreshing post.

The thing is Confucianism was more an educational system than religion or spiritual practice. It was created as a form of social control. Proverbs? My mom is the queen of proverbs. OT.

[Nightprowlkitty]

Agree, donna, that Confucianism was both an educational system and the first "civil service" (sort of).

The book I quoted from, the I-Ching, predates Confucianism. From my little understanding, Confucius played a part in rescuing the text from antiquity and also adding to it in the comments. Also King Wen, while he was imprisoned by the tyrannical head of another dynasty, wrote the judgments and images (previous to Confucius). So it's a text that is not bound to any philosophical system but was surely added upon by kings, philosophers, historians, artists, etc. interpreting it. I wonder if any women at the time also had their own interpretations and whether they were written down.

There's a book called the Analects of Confucius that is supposedly his writing, little fragments here and there -- but I've also read that the work is not entirely his but also writings from his students.

I love both proverbs and parables. I collect them. In my family it was my dad who would offer them on any occasion.

[Kai]

Donna, Nightprowlkitty, Nez, thanks for this great discussion! I have nothing to add for the moment, though plenty of thoughts which will germinate over time.

I wonder if any women at the time also had their own interpretations and whether they were written down.

I'm glad you mentioned this, NPK, because it actually reminds me that one of the Five Classics that Confucius is credited with compiling is the Shi Jing, or Book of Songs, a collection of poems written around 1,000 BCE. It is believed that many of these poems -- possibly even a majority -- were written by women. And Confucius said that you couldn't understand life without studying the Books of Songs. An interesting tidbit.

Also, nice solid interpretation of hexagram 9. You got it. And perhaps also why I use that symbol on this blog. Because I'm so deep. ;-)

[donna darko]

Thanks to all the participants of this discussion! NPK, nothing wrong with the I Ching! I read the Analects by Confucius. Too much order and hierarchy for me.