Date: April 25, Friday

Time:6:30-7:30 pm

Location: LIB 2001

Speaker:

Yue GU is an assistant professor in the History Department at Shanghai University. She earned her B.S. degree from Northeastern University (NEU), Boston. She holds an MPhil and Ph.D. degree from the University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on gender history, social medical history, and the history of emotions in Ming-Qing China.

Abstract:

Existing research on midwives has primarily focused on their role as birth attendants. In late imperial China, knowledge about the female body and gynecology was largely constructed by male physicians. Therefore, it is especially important to examine the relatively few female medical practitioners in history. This lecture, however, shifts the focus beyond the birthing chamber to the alternative public services midwives provided—such as verifying chastity, determining sex, conducting autopsies, and caring for female criminals. The authority midwives held in these roles stemmed precisely from their primary occupation of delivering babies. Their profession, defined by intimate contact with female bodies, granted them a unique voice in various forms of public service. The society relied on midwives’ authority within gendered discourse, while at the same time making every effort to deny their professional status.