This volume offers a fresh, multifaceted exploration of women and Confucianism in mid- to late-Chosoán Korea (mid-sixteenth to early twentieth century). Using primary sources and perspectives from social history, intellectual history, literature, and political thought, contributors challenge unitary views of Confucianism as a system of thought, of women as a group, and of the relationship between the two.Much earlier scholarship has focused on how women were oppressed under the strict patriarchal systems that emerged as Confucianism became the dominant social ideology during the Chosoán dynasty (1392-1910). Contributors to this volume bring to light the varied ways that diverse women actually lived during this era, from elite yangban women to women who were enslaved. Women are shown to have used various strategies to seek status, economic rights, and more comfortable spaces, with some women even emerging as Confucian intellectuals and exemplars.

List of Tables List of Illustrations 1. Introduction Michael J. Pettid and Youngmin Kim 2. Portrait of Two Women: Multiple Layers of "Confucianism" in Late Choson Korea Youngmin Kim 3. The Exemplar Wife: The Life of Lady Chang of Andong in Historical Context Lee SoonGu 4. Confucian Educational Works for Upper Status Women in Choson Korea Michael J. Pettid 5. Neo-Confucianism as Free-floating Resource: Im Yunjidang and Kang Chongildang as Two Female Neo-Confucian Philosophers in Late Choson Youngmin Kim 6. The Rights of the Eldest Daughter-in-Law and Strengthening of Adoption of Lineage Heirs in the Mid-Choson Period Lee SoonGu 7. Questions Concerning Widows' Social Status and Remarriage in Late Choson Jung Ji-Young 8. Devalued Bodies, Revalued Status: Confucianism and the Plight of Female Slaves in Late Choson Korea Milan Hejtmanek Glossary Bibliography Index