Feminism inNortheastAsia

Abstract

Feminism in Northeast Asia (Japan, Korea, and China) has been intertwined with nationalism and the construction of gender by both the state and activists seeking a role in the modern state since the late nineteenth century. At the same time, Asian feminists were also closely tied to transnational feminist organizations such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and the Young Women's Christian Association before World War II. Those groups offered inspiration to Asian women's rights advocates and, in some cases, gave them a platform to influence ideas and discourses when it was difficult to do so in their home countries.