Gender and Power in the Taboo Customs of Childbirth in the Han Dynasty
In the Han Dynasty,there were even more stringent birth taboos than in the pre Qin period.The concept that mothers were unclean and dangerous,abnormal pregnancy,and babies born on the day of death were harmful to parents was ex-tremely common.Mothers who bear the heavy burden of childbirth and certain"special babies"were treated as taboo objects.Be-fore giving birth,mothers must leave their daily residence and go to a specific location for childbirth;Newborns born on abnor-mal pregnancy or death days could be abandoned.The popular taboo concept of childbirth in the Han Dynasty was not only a concern about maternal impurity and the harm of"special babies"to parents,but also a deeper gender and power relationship hidden behind it.The patriarchal culture of the Han Dynasty was deeply developed,and the power of the husband in the family continued to grow.As a result,a series of birth taboos targeting mothers and infants were actually the result of power oppres-sion and gender discrimination infiltrating into family relationships.
Han Dynasty societythe taboo of childbirthexpelling mothershaving children but not raising themgender and power
万方数据
维普
