2-3 pages essay East Asia history and gender

Write a 2-3 page (doubled-spaced, 12-point font) essay explaining how “traditional” East Asian gender roles changed in the modern era (1880-1940). Identify the driving force(s) behind this change, and asses how significant this change was for the development of gender roles in the area. You may focus on a specific gender (masculine or feminine), a specific country (China, Korea or Japan), or you may adopt a regional (East Asia) perspective. No matter your approach, base your argument around relevant examples from the secondary sources we have covered:

James G. Karlin, “The Mythos of Masculinization: Narratives of Heroism and Historical Identity”

Vladimir Tikhonov, “Masculinizing the Nation: Gender Ideologies in Traditional Korea and in the 1890s-1900s Korean Enlightenment Discourse”

Hyaeweol Choi, “Doing it for Her Self: Sin yŏsŏng (New Women) in Korea”

David Der-wei Wang, “Impersonating China”

Francesca Dal Lago, “Crossed Legs in 1930s Shanghai: How ‘Modern’ the Modern Woman?”

Tiantian Zheng, “Embodied Masculinity: Sex and Sport in a (Post) Colonial Chinese City”

Your essay should be clearly organized. It needs 1) an introduction, where you briefly introduce the feature you will examine and layout your argument (thesis); 2) a body, where you provide relevant historical and cultural background and expand your argument through engagement with secondary sources; and 3) a conclusion, where you restate your thesis and provide a final assessment of the way(s) gender roles were affected.

You are limited to using sources assigned. Therefore, you may use an abbreviated reference form—that is, after each citation, put the source and page number in parentheses. Cite at least 2 different texts that we have covered. Choose your citations carefully to be most effective.