{"product_id":"the-women-who-ruled-china-buddhism-multiculturalism-and-governance-in-the-sixth-century-paperback","title":"The Women Who Ruled China: Buddhism, Multiculturalism, and Governance in the Sixth Century - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eStephanie Balkwill\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the late fifth century, a girl whose name has been forgotten by history was born at the edge of the Chinese empire. By the time of her death, she had transformed herself into Empress Dowager Ling, one of the most powerful politicians of her age and one of the first of many Buddhist women to wield incredible influence in dynastic East Asia. In this book, Stephanie Balkwill documents the Empress Dowager's rise to power and life on the throne against the broader world of imperial China under the rule of the Northern Wei dynasty, a foreign people from Inner Asia who built their capital deep in the Chinese heartland. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Building on largely untapped Buddhist materials, Balkwill shows that the life and rule of the Empress Dowager is a larger story of the reinvention of religious, ethnic, and gender norms in a rapidly changing multicultural society. \u003ci\u003eThe Women Who Ruled China\u003c\/i\u003e recovers the voices of those left out of the mainstream historical record, painting a compelling portrait of medieval Chinese society reinventing itself under the Empress Dowager's leadership. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book is truly groundbreaking in its focus, theoretical contributions, and methodological innovations. Stephanie Balkwill's deft treatment of Buddhism, gender, and ethnic difference in the Northern Wei court of Empress Dowager Ling will surely serve as a model for other scholars.--Megan Bryson, author of \u003ci\u003eGoddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Balkwill's penetrating scholarship greatly enlarges our understanding of two often-ignored and deeply intertwined aspects of rulership in East Asia: women and Buddhism. This book explores the powerful role that women played in Northern Wei politics and how Buddhism provided a new repertoire for enlarging their roles, especially in the more populist forms favored by the Empress Dowager. A revealing, thought-provoking read.\"--Andrew Chittick, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Jiankang Empire in Chinese and World History\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Employing a wide range of sources, Balkwill persuasively argues that Dowager Empress Hu paved the way for Wu Zetian to become China's only female emperor. Both pastoral nomadic customs, which respected female agency and authority, and Buddhism, which provided women with autonomy and leadership opportunities, created this new path to power.\"--Keith N. Knapp, Professor of East Asian History at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStephanie Balkwill \u003c\/b\u003eis Assistant Professor of Chinese Buddhism in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is also Associate Director of the Center for Buddhist Studies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 06, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51775993250080,"sku":"9780520401815","price":62.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/25ab05ffe861089cdee8c6b6d9dd0d85.webp?v=1780470568","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-women-who-ruled-china-buddhism-multiculturalism-and-governance-in-the-sixth-century-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}