Woman in Early Imperial China: the socio - political forces and gender norms surrounding elite women in the Han Dynasty

This thesis focuses on gender norms within literary and historical texts from Han Dynasty China a s they pertain to women. It examines the role of women within that society, with an emphasis on women in the political sphere and imperial court. The study of such history is significant for its own sake. It also contribute s to the understanding of the early underpinnings of the Confucian principles that still influence Chinese society and the Chinese cultural diaspora. Understanding how historical works nuance their discussion of women and analysing the motive s for the presentation of women means historian s are better equipped to critically evaluate the place of women through out history. This thesis engages in analysis of several key Han Dynasty texts that discuss ' women ' , the roles women held and important female members of the Han Dynasty political elite. Because of this historical analysis , it is possible to see that women in the Han Dynasty were politically significant, could hold real political power and yet were increasingly bound and constricted by notions of appropriate female behaviour as the dynasty progressed. The increasing removal of power from maternal relatives of the emperor resulted in historical sources often undermining the legitimacy of female political power within the Han Dynasty system. This was bolstered by an increased conservatism regarding female behaviour which attempted to constrain women's roles and actions and , at the same time , stated that female action could have moral value.