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The literary making of a Uyghur feminist : Identity and ethics in Banu's Redemption

Zeng, Jinyan LU and Author, Anonymous (2024) In Queering China: Transnational Genders and Sexualities p.75-92
Abstract
Banu’s Redemption (Modanhan 2021) is the first literary work written in Chinese on the topic of re-education camps in Xinjiang, China. The semi-autobiographical novel depicts how Banu, a female Uyghur intellectual, seeks self-redemption and new ethnic and gender identities against increasingly stringent social control and rising ethnic tension in the region. This chapter offers a critical reading of the novel and argues that it portrays a literary liberation of women against China’s ethnic repression and patriarchal structures in Uyghur culture. Banu’s morally ‘questionable’ character stands in stark contrast to the prevailing representation of women as ‘pure heroines’ in Uyghur literature and reality. This reflects how Uyghur activists... (More)
Banu’s Redemption (Modanhan 2021) is the first literary work written in Chinese on the topic of re-education camps in Xinjiang, China. The semi-autobiographical novel depicts how Banu, a female Uyghur intellectual, seeks self-redemption and new ethnic and gender identities against increasingly stringent social control and rising ethnic tension in the region. This chapter offers a critical reading of the novel and argues that it portrays a literary liberation of women against China’s ethnic repression and patriarchal structures in Uyghur culture. Banu’s morally ‘questionable’ character stands in stark contrast to the prevailing representation of women as ‘pure heroines’ in Uyghur literature and reality. This reflects how Uyghur activists often overlook feminist concerns and regard women as mere tools in achieving their activist goals. The novel questions the myth and practicality of female purity in activism and offers a more complex ethics of survival in which ‘truth-telling’ plays a crucial part. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Feminism, Uyghur, Activism, Ethics, Literature, Chinese
host publication
Feminist Activism in the Post-2010s Sinosphere : Identifying Issues, Sharing Knowledge, Building Movements - Identifying Issues, Sharing Knowledge, Building Movements
series title
Queering China: Transnational Genders and Sexualities
editor
Engebretsen, Elisabeth L. and Zeng, Jinyan
pages
18 pages
publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:85207378978
ISBN
9781350419728
9781350419711
9781350419735
9781350419704
9781350419742
DOI
10.5040/9781350419735.ch-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f40b2ee2-acee-4820-8fd7-d2393c9c84d7
date added to LUP
2024-12-04 10:05:54
date last changed
2025-01-15 13:27:28
@inbook{f40b2ee2-acee-4820-8fd7-d2393c9c84d7,
  abstract     = {{Banu’s Redemption (Modanhan 2021) is the first literary work written in Chinese on the topic of re-education camps in Xinjiang, China. The semi-autobiographical novel depicts how Banu, a female Uyghur intellectual, seeks self-redemption and new ethnic and gender identities against increasingly stringent social control and rising ethnic tension in the region. This chapter offers a critical reading of the novel and argues that it portrays a literary liberation of women against China’s ethnic repression and patriarchal structures in Uyghur culture. Banu’s morally ‘questionable’ character stands in stark contrast to the prevailing representation of women as ‘pure heroines’ in Uyghur literature and reality. This reflects how Uyghur activists often overlook feminist concerns and regard women as mere tools in achieving their activist goals. The novel questions the myth and practicality of female purity in activism and offers a more complex ethics of survival in which ‘truth-telling’ plays a crucial part.}},
  author       = {{Zeng, Jinyan and Author, Anonymous}},
  booktitle    = {{Feminist Activism in the Post-2010s Sinosphere : Identifying Issues, Sharing Knowledge, Building Movements}},
  editor       = {{Engebretsen, Elisabeth L. and Zeng, Jinyan}},
  isbn         = {{9781350419728}},
  keywords     = {{Feminism; Uyghur; Activism; Ethics; Literature; Chinese}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{75--92}},
  publisher    = {{Bloomsbury Publishing}},
  series       = {{Queering China: Transnational Genders and Sexualities}},
  title        = {{The literary making of a Uyghur feminist : Identity and ethics in Banu's Redemption}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350419735.ch-4}},
  doi          = {{10.5040/9781350419735.ch-4}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}