Reviews 129. Clement William Grene University of Edinburgh John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Transcription

1 Reviews 129 The final chapter offers an overview of the life of Pearl S. Buck, and in particular, the reasons why she turned against the fundamentalist and misogynist view of mission represented by her father. It compares Buck s attitude with the general process of rethinking and reforming Christian mission being carried on in the West, generally at this time, in which some voices were urging Christian missionaries to begin separating themselves from the imperial and commercial goals of their home nations. The conclusion brings us into the present, with some reflections on the current-day Republic of China and the need for respectful dialogue between Christianity and Chinese socialism. The topic of the book is timely and important and Mong at times does good work in bringing to light some of the complexities and ambiguities involved. Unfortunately, however, his grasp of history is often not sufficiently strong and his editorializing tone frequently undermines his argument. It is hard to overlook errors as basic as the statement that the Ming dynasty lasted from the fourteenth century to the nineteenth century (p. 129) or as naïve as the claim that the military defeat of the Taiping was due to their insufficiently sound theology (p. 60); for the chapter on Timothy Richard, Mong relies extensively on an outdated and hagiographic 1926 biography. For all Mong s evident passion and generosity of spirit, Guns and Gospel does not do its subject justice. Clement William Grene University of Edinburgh The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy and Gender, Ann A. Pang-White (ed.), Bloomsbury, 2016 (ISBN ), xvi pp., hb 130 The Handbook consists of eighteen essays by a variety of contributors working within the field of Chinese studies that focus on the question raised by the editor: Can we, and how do we, reread, re-imagine, and reconstruct canonical texts so as to find their new significance in the contemporary world? Part 1 considers Confucian approaches, both ancient and medieval, while Part II is concerned with Confucianism in the modern and contemporary world. Part III looks at Daoist approaches to gender issues, and Part IV deals with Buddhism. One of the issues facing someone wishing to discuss any aspect of Chinese culture is that it is a diffuse phenomenon spread across a wide geographical area within East Asia and Southeast Asia but also with a

2 130 Reviews global Chinese diaspora. The discussion of gender and Chinese philosophical and religious traditions faces a complex and changing reality for example, the mainland of China is different from Taiwan or South Korea. Faced with growing diversity, this Handbook nevertheless represents an important attempt to move beyond traditional stereotypes of Chinese culture as essentially patriarchal and to engage and reimagine the great traditions of Chinese philosophy by examining some of the key figures and texts. There certainly seems to be a good case for revisiting early texts in order to explore their potential for reimagining the gendered nature of traditional Chinese philosophy, and as various of the essays suggest, this is of considerable importance if a contemporary philosophy that is able to engage with issues around gender is to be developed further. It cannot be denied that traditional Confucian society in China was strongly patriarchal. The subordinate position of women has been discussed in a number of important studies in recent years. Contemporary Chinese societies still perpetuate gender stereotypes with little effective questioning of the underlying assumptions. Thus, in China itself, the rhetoric of equality is undermined by the reality of most women s lives. Domestic violence is commonplace, and the ancient cultural preference for male children remains widespread even amongst the urban middle class. The essays in the first two parts seek to explore aspects of Chinese traditional thought in order to show that while patriarchy has provided an underlying bedrock on which the edifice of traditional society has been built there are reasons for challenging it philosophically. Paul Goldin starts the discussion by studying the moral dilemmas faced by women within a traditionally patriarchal society. He shows how women were inherently more vulnerable within such a society. Tak-Ling Terry Woo considers the cosmological assumptions of yin-yang, the Yijing (Book of Changes), and classical Confucian and Daoist literature. She suggests that these texts can be read critically in such a way as to undermine patriarchal assumptions. Ann Pang-White considers the development of Neo-Confucian thought in the 12th century, and in particular the philosophy of Zhu Xi. She questions whether it is right to dismiss Song Neo-Confucian thinking as inherently patriarchal. By exploring Zhu s metaphysics, she suggests that there is a feminist potential underlying much of his thinking, providing a counterweight to his more conservative views on gender relations. Again, she considers the yin-yang polarity suggesting that logically the two are complementary and therefore must be seen in relational terms. Hye-Kyung Kim, originally from South Korea, discusses the role of Neo-Confucianism in creating a society ruled by the Chosun Dynasty from 1392 to She suggests that Confucian Korea was deeply patriarchal, but there were counter trends. In particular, she focusses on the

3 Reviews 131 Naehoon, Lessons for the Inner Quarter, by Queen Sohae ( ). Following Mencius inspiration, Queen Sohae argued that women could become sages and indeed should strive to do so. Kim endeavors to make a strong case but also admits the limitations of Queen Sohae s thinking. Clearly, there are differing views amongst scholars of Korean history and culture, and the discussion is far from concluded. Nevertheless, Kim s analysis is important because she endeavors to consider the Naehoon and its author within the overall context of Korean society of that time. As other contributors also make clear, it is unhelpful to import contemporary feminist views into critiquing the assumptions of past traditions. The essay by Karyn Lai Close Personal Relationships and the Situated Self which considers the Confucian Analects in the light of feminist philosophy is a fascinating discussion of the importance of relationships within Confucian thought. She relates Confucian ideas about personhood, knowledge, action, and well-being to a feminist epistemology that understands knowledge as shaped by the circumstances of the knowing subject. Her discussion is nuanced and balanced. She succeeds in drawing out the significance of a reimagining of Confucian understanding of the situated self while also drawing attention to the failure of Confucianism to adequately account for gender as an important dimension in relationships. Two essays discuss issues in relation to moral reasoning. Chenyang Li considers the ethics of care and the ethics of justice, discussing these in relation to the thinking of Mencius in comparison with Kant and relates this to the feminist critique of Carol Gilligan. Ellie Hua Wang revisits the work of Xunxi with his emphasis on moral reasoning expressed through the Chinese concept of ren. She discusses this in relationship to feminist care ethics suggesting that rather than putting the emphasis on the individual self the Confucian self is an accomplishment through moral cultivation and proper social relationships. Persons are always in the process of becoming. This insight is developed by Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee in a consideration of the danger of Western feminism seeking to impose a hegemonic critique of non-western cultures. In this context, she discusses the possibility of a Confucian care ethics infused with feminism. She takes up the issue of the nature of the self within Confucianism. Together, these three contributions provide an insightful and thought-provoking reflection that suggests that a careful consideration of the Confucian tradition can result in a fundamental challenge to the predominant Western paradigms about the nature of the self and of social relationships. The final essay in this section looks at the issue of same sex relationships and ancient Confucian views. Sin-Yee Chan argues for the view that Confucianism would not consider homosexuality as intrinsically or extrinsically problematic. However, he admits that it would not have been seen as part of an ideal Confucian order.

4 132 Reviews Part III of the Handbook moves to a discussion of Daoist approaches. As the Editor comments: In comparison to Confucianism, Daoism is much more open to the fluidity of gender distinctions and the value and power of the feminine... (p. 203). Robin R. Wang takes up the question of yin-yang and argues that the dual concepts should not be taken as a fixed frame of reference that defines gender in asymmetrical terms of male/female, although this has been the way in which gender relationships have been defined throughout Chinese history. Rereading various ancient Chinese texts and in particular the Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and Virtuosity) and the Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor s Inner Classic), she argues for a fluid gender dynamics that allows for change and transformation in constructing an organic whole. She concludes amusingly: In sum, men and women should be more like chopsticks and less like knives and forks! Lin Ma looks in depth at the feminine/female within the Daodejing.As she acknowledges, there are differing views as to how to read the feminine in this key text. She considers the views of Joseph Needham in his Science and Civilisation in China Vol. 2 who argues for an inherent bond between the Dao of the feminine and the Dao of nature; of Roger T. Ames who argues that the Daoist ideal is essentially androgynous; and of Liu Xiaogan who, in common with classical readings of the text, argues for a political reading. Lin Ma then develops her own interpretation in which she develops Needham s reading by looking in some depth at key concepts in the Daodejing. She concludes that a philosophy based on the Daodejing is not only a philosophy of the feminine, but also, and more importantly, a philosophy in the feminine (p. 246). Gakkia Patt-Shamir writes of the power of feminine images in the Daodejing. She considers the concept of the Dao as mother and the Dao as Mysterious Female. She relates these images to the well-known concept of wuwei no action, not knowing or effortless effort concepts that can easily be misinterpreted as doing nothing. In this context, the thinking of Wilfred R. Bion is drawn upon to help to explicate our understanding of the Daoist way and to suggest a practical mysticism for today. Eric S. Nelson and Liu Yang investigate another famous Chinese classic, the Yijing (Book of Changes). In particular, they discuss the thinking of Wang Bi (AD ) which they consider provides important clues for imaginatively and reflectively engaging gender and the feminine through the Yijing and feminist and post-patriarchal interpretations of the Yijing. Given the popularity of the Yijing in the West, their discussion makes an important contribution to reading the text for reflectively encountering and responding to one s own situation (p. 282). Susan Scheibler draws this part to a close with a consideration of Daoism and the LGBT Community. She is especially concerned with the issue within Daoism as a lived and living religion. She draws on the insights explored in previous chapters and also describes contemporary

5 Reviews 133 realities within Chinese communities. At the same time, in traditional Chinese Daoism, there has been a paradoxical contradiction at the heart of Daoist sexuality with its stress on heterosexual relationships. Scheibler seeks to deconstruct this by drawing on the understanding of yin-yang as always relate to each other everything is always in the process of change and transformation and that this applies to gender and sexuality. Part IV turns to Buddhist approaches. Sandra A. Wawrytko makes a strong argument in favor of a Buddhist approach to gender in terms of the philosophy of nondualism in which gender is understood as just one delusion amongst many of the discriminating mind. However, as she admits historically Buddhism has been strongly influenced by the ingrained hierarchical mindset dominated by a patriarchal value system in Asian cultures. The struggle against this is well described in the essay by Ann A. Pang-White in which she looks at the transformation in modern Buddhism. Both Wawrytko and Pang-White discuss a number of key Buddhist texts such as the Lotus Sutra, the Diamond Sutra,the Kalama Sutta, and the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra which in advocating the teaching of Sunyata (emptiness) leads logically to non-discrimination and in particular an end to discrimination between men and women. Nevertheless, as Pang-White shows early Buddhism has a misogynist bent as is clearly expressed in texts such as the Bahudhatuka-suttha and was put into practice in the discriminatory rules that subordinated the order of nuns to that of monks. The Eight Garudhammas (in Chinese, the bajingfa) summed up the differences and were expanded in later times to almost 100 additional rules for nuns. In the context of Indian society at the time of Buddhism s rise, this discrimination is perhaps explicable and parallels the situation of women religious in medieval Europe. However, the persistence today should be challenged, and this leads into Pang-White s description of the rise of reform movements in modern Taiwan which have also influenced Buddhist communities on the Chinese mainland. Nuns in East Asian Mahayana communities have fared far better than those within the Theravada tradition. The Still Thought Abode and the Tzu Chi (Ciji) Foundation founded in 1966 by Cheng Yen/Zhengyan have transformed Buddhism in Taiwan. The Luminary Buddhist Institute founded in 1980 by Wu Yin focuses on cultivating female spiritual leaders and monastic Dharma teachers. In a Chinese context with the still powerful Confucian values, these reform movements are challenging the prevailing ethos with abuddhistuniversalism. Hwei-Syin Lu writes of the Bodhisattva s path in contemporary Taiwan through an analysis of the Tzu Chi Foundation. She considers the criticism that Tzu Chi women perpetuate gender essentialism suggesting that in fact they take a different route from male-dominated religions that are in general preoccupied with dogmatic or other-worldly doctrines and rules. Hence, the central importance of the image of the 1000-eyes and 1000-hands Bodhisattva Guanyin which is an androgynous figure

6 134 Reviews empowering both women and men to follow the Bodhisattva s path for gender liberation. The final essay by Hsiao-Lan Hu concentrates on the remarkable figure of Bhiksuni Chao-Hwei, born in 1957 in Taiwan. She has pioneered the field of Buddhist-feminist social ethics and is well-known in Taiwan and some Southeast Asian Buddhist circles. In 2012, she caught international attention by officiating at a Buddhist lesbian wedding. Her endorsement of this highly controversial practice stems from her systematic study of Buddhist ethics, and Hu succinctly sums up Chao-Hwei s thinking. Hu then focuses on the LGBT as a deprived and oppressed group in order to further explain Chao-Hwei s Buddhist-feminist ethics. This volume covers an immense field. Each essay provides the basis for further analysis and discussion. The sheer complexity of the subjects discussed sometimes leaves the interested reader struggling to make sense of particular details. At the same time, the book provides a timely and important way into the overall discussion of gender and Chinese philosophy. Experts in any one of the fields being discussed will no doubt want to consider, agree and disagree with the arguments being presented, but for both experts and general readers, this book can be highly recommended. Bob Whyte Belper, UK Canonical Theology: The Biblical Canon, Sola Scriptura, and Theological Method, John C. Peckham, Eerdmans, 2016 (ISBN ), xiv pp., pb $35 Can the Protestant theologian seriously conceive of the relationship between scripture and tradition as a one-way street? Is not canonicity a bequeathal of the church something posterior to ecclesial tradition? Peckham identifies this question as the root of an ongoing controversy over the proper relationship between canon, ecclesial community, and theological method, a battle in which even Protestant evangelicals have taken up cudgels against the principle of sola Scriptura. Behind the debate, Peckham believes, is a vital philosophical division between two camps: those who contend that the canon is a communitydetermined construction and those who hold that the canon, being divinely appointed, is recognized but not determined by any community. The first, Peckham calls the community canon model ; the second, the