Welcome to Rethinking Roots, a companion website for my four courses: CCCH5054 Mothering China From the Womb to the Nation, CCCH9067 Man Up Chinese Masculinities in the Making, CCHU5088 We Are Family: Myths, Realities and the Future, and CCHU9043 Rethinking Women: The Big Debates!
The four courses, through different perspectives on history, gender, and family relations, explore fundamental questions about our roots: the families, bodies, and histories that shape who we are, and the identities we build from them. What makes a family? What does it mean to be a woman, a man, or a mother? These questions may feel deeply intimate, even personal, but they are shaped by history, culture, and social forces. Instead of confining us to fixed identities, the courses aim to liberate us from the myths circulating in media, and invite us to imagine our own vision of roots and identities.
Across all four courses, we treat family, gender, and motherhood not as natural facts but as ideas that have been constructed, contested, and reimagined across time and place. We take an intersectional approach, paying attention to how gender intersects with class, race, sexuality, and nation to shape real lives. And we always move between past and present, using history as a lens to make sense of the debates we find ourselves in today.
This platform is designed to enrich your learning experience by providing access to a variety of resources. You will find a collection of past students’ work that showcases diverse perspectives on our gender and family identities in history, contemporary society, and popular culture. The site offers useful references such as articles and multimedia resources to deepen your understanding of the course themes. Feel free to explore, engage, and connect with your peers as we navigate the complexities of roots together!
— Dr. Carol Tsang
Banner drawings by Charlotte Ng