16.07.2026

Lecture: Yi Jolan, "The Politics of Surnaming: Name-Changing and Women's Identity in Late Imperial China and Beyond"

On Tue, 21 Jul 2026, Prof. Yi Jolan will talk about the politics of surnaming

Abstract This presentation investigates the dynamic cultural and social history of married women’s naming systems in Late Imperial China. By exploring how women navigated their surnames upon marriage within the Chinese patriarchal tradition, this study examines the profound impact of naming conventions on female familial identity. It addresses the vulnerable positioning of women within lineage structures while tracing how custom and identity intersect in the Chinese context. Moving away from notions of passive subjugation, this talk highlights the presence of female subjectivity and agency, demonstrating how surnaming operated as a strategic mechanism for women to negotiate their socio-legal rights. Ultimately, by drawing brief introductory and contextual parallels with other historical and contemporary naming traditions across East Asia and the West, this presentation illustrates the broader global relevance of the Chinese historical experience.
Bio Yi Jolan 衣若蘭 is a professor at National Taiwan University, Department of History. Her research focuses on gender history and women’s life writings during the late imperial and early Republican periods in China. She is the author of three Chinese books: From Women’s Biography to Women’s History: Writing Women’s Lives in early Republican China (2023). Historiography and Gender: Mingshi lienü zhuan (The
Biography of Women in Ming History) and the Construction of Women’s History in 14th to 18th Centuries China (2011) and Three Aunties and Six Grannies: A Probe into Women and Society in Ming China (2002). She has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Women's and Gender Studies and the Journal of Ming Studies (Taiwan).

Tuesday, 21 July 2026, 16:00
Wilhelmstr. 133, Raum 30
Online Zoom Meeting ID: 936 0056 4476 Passcode: 928919