Rebel Discourse(s) on Gender as Demonstrated by Contemporary and Historical Chinese Marriage Practices

Abstract

I attempt to evaluate rebel discourse(s), as opposed to mainstream, dominant discourse, on gender as demonstrated by marriage practices in Chinese societies, both contemporary and historical, vis-à-vis general Western, marriage practices. This is done discursive-analytically by way of cross-cultural analysis as methodology. Contributions on the theory of discourse are considered and applied. In this contribution, several rebel discourses on marriage during both post-Maoist Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) and former dynastic periods, are found to be emancipatory (with women refusing to partake in patriarchal constructs such as marriage) and progressive (with women having several sexual partners simultaneously). The hope is expressed that the profound insights unearthed from these rebel discourse(s) might be beneficial for Western feminisms. To this end, I utilise Zwart’s notion of cultural “mixing” and Derrida’s idea of the “sliding signifier” before making recommendations for improved public policy formulation. If the 21st century is indeed the Chinese century, such investigations are crucial