@article{ART003198131},
author={Qian Li},
title={Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」)},
journal={아시아여성연구},
issn={1225-9241},
year={2025},
volume={64},
number={1},
pages={55-86}
TY - JOUR
AU - Qian Li
TI - Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」)
JO - 아시아여성연구
PY - 2025
VL - 64
IS - 1
PB - Research Institute of Asian Women
SP - 55
EP - 86
SN - 1225-9241
AB - This paper analyzes the need for women’s care labor, economic independence, and revolutionary transformation, focusing on Lu Xun’s “傷 逝” (Grief) and “幸福的家庭” (A Happy Family). In 1920s Chinese society, women criticized traditional patriarchy and pursued ideals of free love and equal marriage, yet they still faced economic dependence and repetitive care labor. Lu Xun keenly captured the dilemma of these women, arguing that true liberation cannot be achieved merely through physical change or spiritual awakening. In particular, the death of the protagonist, Zi Jun (子君), in “傷逝” symbolically demonstrates that without economic independence, the pursuit of women’s liberation will inevitably lead back to an oppressive structure. Lu Xun emphasized that without economic autonomy and social structural change, women’s freedom and rights cannot be realized. Meanwhile, Silvia Federici analyzes women’s care labor as a central exploitative structure within the capitalist system, offering practical alternatives to subvert this structure. Federici critiques the structural problem where women within the working class are assigned unpaid labor and advocates for the collectivization and communal restructuring to address the unequal burden of domestic labor. Her concept of ‘commoning’ transforms care labor into a collective and public sphere, presenting a possibility to escape capitalist oppression. Although the discussions of Lu Xun and Federici unfolded in different historical contexts, both thinkers share an important commonality in that they regard women’s economic independence not as a personal issue, but as something that must be reexamined at the societal structural level. While Lu Xun emphasized economic independence as an essential condition for women’s liberation, he did not propose concrete solutions to achieve this. In contrast, Federici, through her concept of ‘commoning,’ presents revolutionary practices to subvert capitalist oppression and seeks practical paths to achieving economic independence. This study connects Lu Xun’s literary insights with Federici’s social analysis, exploring solutions to the problem of women’s labor and emphasizing the necessity of economic independence for women’s liberation in modern society.
KW - Lu Xun;Silvia Federici;“傷逝” (Grief);Care Labor;Reproduction
DO -
UR -
ER -
Qian Li. (2025). Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」). 아시아여성연구, 64(1), 55-86.
Qian Li. 2025, "Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」)", 아시아여성연구, vol.64, no.1 pp.55-86.
Qian Li "Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」)" 아시아여성연구 64.1 pp.55-86 (2025) : 55.
Qian Li. Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」). 2025; 64(1), 55-86.
Qian Li. "Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」)" 아시아여성연구 64, no.1 (2025) : 55-86.
Qian Li. Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」). 아시아여성연구, 64(1), 55-86.
Qian Li. Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」). 아시아여성연구. 2025; 64(1) 55-86.
Qian Li. Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」). 2025; 64(1), 55-86.
Qian Li. "Care and Revolution: The Care Work of Women and the Necessity of Revolutionary Transformation in Grief (「傷逝」)" 아시아여성연구 64, no.1 (2025) : 55-86.
