NOTE: I changed my topic to the broad topic of porcelain. I am still trying to narrow down my question. I am leaning towards comparing the gendering of porcelain objects themselves to the gender demographic of the workforce of potters.
Pierson, Stacy. “The Movement of Chinese Ceramics: Appropriation in Global History.” Journal of World History 23, no. 1 (2012): 9-39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41508050.
This article focuses on Chinese ceramics as exports through the lens of art history, world history, and economics. The value of ceramics is conveyed in the exchange networks and consumer cultures. It especially highlights the movement of Chinese porcelain to 16-17th century England and Iran and its effect in China. The paper shows the value of specifically blue-and-white porcelain and mentions it origins. Unfortunately, the majority of the paper discusses Chinese porcelain outside of China, but I would like to keep my attention within the country. The article was found in a database in a revered journal, and it was cited more than forty times.
Smith, Kate. “Manly Objects?: Gendering Armorial Porcelain Wares,” In East India Company at Home, 1757-1857, edited by Kate Smith and Margot Finn, 113-130. London: USL Press, 2018. https://10.2307/j.ctt21c4tfn.13.
This chapter questions whether porcelain armorial services were gendered. It studies the relationship between British men and porcelain in the eighteenth century, revealing societal thoughts of Chinese porcelain in British culture. Again, although the chapter discusses non-Chinese perspectives, it encourages me to dive into the gendering of Chinese ceramics and porcelain as well as their potters and production. Gender roles have been hinted at each week but never fully the center of attention.
Ko, Dorothy. (The Social Life of Inkstones). Interview with Carla Nappi. Artisans and Scholars in Early Qing China. Podcast audio. May 18, 2017. https://newbooksnetwork.com/dorothy-ko-the-social-life-of-inkstones-artisans-and-scholars-in-early-qing-china-u-of-washington-press-2017.
This podcast emphasizes the importance in the production process. Dr. Ko shares her research process of a specific material or object, which includes successfully making it by hand. One portion of the podcast, Dr. Ko and Nappi discuss an accomplished female inkstone maker, Gu Erniang. Gu Erniang’s husband passed away before having any children, so her father-in-law taught his inkstone-making skills to her. She became one of the most popular and well-known inkstone makers and often taught her skills to men. She was taught because there was nobody else, and then she teaches other men, indicating that most inkstone makers are male. This thinking can be applied to potters, too. Dr. Dorothy Ko is a cultural historian who specializes in gender and body in early modern China. Her current research focuses on women’s artistry and skills in textiles, which constitute an alternative knowledge system to male-centered textual scholarship.
