Page 11 - Chinese Woman Living and Working

Series editor’s foreword

The contributions of women to the social, political and economic transformations
occurring in the Asian region are legion. Women have served as leaders of nations,
communities, workplaces, activist groups and families. Asian women have joined with
others to participate in fomenting change at the micro and macro levels. They have been
both agents and targets of national and international interventions in social policy at the
level of the household and family. In the performance of these myriad roles women have
forged new and modern gendered identities that are recognisably global and local. Their
life experiences are rich, diverse and instructive. The books in this series testify to the
central role women play in creating the new Asia and re-creating Asian womanhood.
Moreover, these books attest to the resilience and inventiveness of women around the
Asian region in the face of entrenched and evolving patriarchal social norms.
Scholars publishing in this series demonstrate a commitment to promoting the
productive conversation between Women’s Studies and Asian Studies. The need to
understand the diversity of experiences of femininity and womanhood around the world
increases inexorably as globalisation proceeds apace. Lessons from the experiences of
Asian women present us with fresh opportunities for building new possibilities for
women’s progress the world over.
The Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) sponsors this publication series as
part of its ongoing commitment to promoting knowledge about women in Asia. In
particular, the ASAA women’s caucus provides the intellectual vigour and enthusiasm that
maintains the Women in Asia Series (WIAS). The aim of the series, since its inception in
1992, is to promote knowledge about women in Asia to both academic and general
audiences. To this end, WIAS books draw on a wide range of disciplines, including
anthropology, sociology, political science, cultural studies and history
Louise Edwards
Australian National University