A Feminist Reflection on Ethnographic Research in China: Gender, Sex, and Power in Cross-Cultural Context

Abstract

As a feminist cultural anthropologist specializing in social transformations in contemporary China, my research and teaching necessarily involves exploring the construction of difference, the intersectionality of gender with other social positions, and how difference upholds or challenges power. In this essay, I employ biographical reflection to illustrate how my everyday experiences as a student, foreign English teacher, and scholarly researcher in China have refined my awareness of these important insights of feminist theory. As my attention to these processes increased, I became more mindful of the myriad ways women negotiate cultural configurations of gender and power in their everyday lives. Personal experiences also prompted me to reflect on how my identity and positionality impact the research process and outcomes. Thus experiential knowledge greatly enriched my study and understanding of the changing lives of women in China. I suggest how educators can impart these valuable lessons to students through experiential learning.