Description
Book SynopsisThe YWCA arrived in China as a cultural interloper in 1899. How did activist Christian Chinese women maintain their identity and social relevance through the tumultuous first half of the twentieth century? The YWCA in China explores how the Young Women's Christian Association responded to the needs of Chinese women and society both before and after the 1949 revolution ushered in a communist state. Western secretaries originally defined the Chinese YWCA movement, but successive generations of Chinese leadership localized its Western-defined organizational ethos. Over time, the Y became class conscious and progressive as Chinese women transformed it from a vehicle for moral and material uplift to an instrument for social action and an organizational citizen of China. And after 1949, national YWCA leaders supported the Maoist regime because they believed the social goals of the YWCA aligned with Mao's revolutionary aims. The YWCA in China is a fascinating investigatio
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Creating a YWCA Movement in China, 1899–1925
2 Making a Chinese Leadership, 1925–36
3 Seeking a Place in a Social Revolution, 1926–36
4 Claiming National Citizenship, 1937–48
5 Embracing the Maoist State, 1949–50
6 Cultivating a Socialist Mindset, 1951–57
Conclusion
Glossary; Notes; Bibliography; Index
