Chopsticks Only Work in Pairs

Download or read book Chopsticks Only Work in Pairs written by Shanshan Du and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2002-12-18 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ideal of "gender equality" seems forever elusive, always tantalizingly over the horizon. Shanshan Du suggests that by shifting our attention away from the various utopian ideals embedded in mainstream feminism, we may be surprised to learn that gender-egalitarian societies do exist. Based on extensive fieldwork, this book explores the Lahu society in Southwest China where practical gender equality has become the byproduct of a potent ideology of gender unity, vividly expressed by the proverb, "chopsticks only work in pairs."