322 quiz #1

How does Butler's theory of performativity challenge the idea that gender is simply an inherent identity?

Butler sees gender as something continuously produced through socially enacted behaviors and actions that people internalize and repeat.

How does Mohanty's concept of discursive colonization relate to power?

It shows how power can operate through representations of women by homogenizing different women and portraying some as universally powerless, which erases their historical and political agency.

What is the main difference between the Warrior Theory and Indian Trader Theory of Indianization?

The Warrior Theory emphasizes Indian warriors and conquerors establishing dominance through force, while the Indian Trader Theory emphasizes the spread of Hindu ideas through traders.

How does the Southeast Asian Take Initiative theory differ from the Warrior Theory?

It emphasizes Southeast Asians as active participants who adopted and transformed Indian culture rather than simply being passive recipients or subjects of Indian conquerors.

How does localization complicate the idea of Indianization?

Localization shows that foreign cultural influences were transformed into local forms rather than simply copied unchanged.

How does the concept of "men of prowess" challenge a Western understanding of political authority?

Authority was based on personal spiritual potency, skill, and success rather than primarily on formal hierarchical lineages.

How does the Southeast Asian understanding of power differ from the secular Western understanding?

Western power is described as abstract and forceful between humans, whereas early Southeast Asian power was understood as a concrete and intangible potency that could attract followers.

How does Errington challenge Western assumptions about sex and gender?

She argues that sex and gender are deeply connected cultural systems and that gender does not necessarily reflect anatomical differences. She also shows that Southeast Asian systems can emphasize complementarity rather than mutually exclusive male/female categories.

How are hierarchy and complementarity connected to power?

As unitary ancestral potency becomes fractured, power is expressed through hierarchy and complementarity. Hierarchy is associated with age and seniority, while complementarity is associated with gender.

Why is "equality" an insufficient framework for understanding gender in Southeast Asia?

Because women's control over money and practical matters could coexist with lower prestige or spiritual potency, meaning that Western ideas of equality and power do not fully capture local understandings of gender and authority.

How does the idea of "unity of opposites" appear in Southeast Asian gender systems?

Masculine and feminine categories can be understood as complementary rather than mutually exclusive, appearing in brother-sister relationships, dual-gendered deities, and priests who contain opposites together.

How does Errington's discussion of age complicate the idea of a universal male/female binary?

Because pre-puberty children and post-menopausal women can be socially gender-neutral, suggesting that gender categories can depend on sexual productivity rather than being permanent categories based only on anatomy.What are the four important considerations when studying keywords?

How does John Money use the term "gender"?

John Money uses gender to describe the social enactment of sex roles and to help distinguish sex from social roles.

What does it mean to say gender is socially or culturally constructed?

Gender is understood as something produced through social and cultural practices rather than simply determined by biological sex.

What is Butler's theory of performativity?

Butler's theory of performativity argues that gender is produced through a series of socially enacted actions and behaviors that people unconsciously internalize and continuously perform.

What is sex according to the notes?

Sex originally referred to categories of male and female in Europe and was later increasingly associated with reproduction.

How did the meaning of "sex" change over time?

Sex and gender were once used interchangeably, but sex became increasingly associated with biological reproduction.

What is sexuality?

Sexuality refers to the kind of person someone is attracted to and what someone likes to do sexually.

When does the concept of sexuality appear?

The concept of sexuality appears in the mid-to-late 19th century.

Why is power complicated as a keyword?

Definitions of power differ between Western and Eastern societies.

What is discursive colonization?

In Mohanty's argument, discursive colonization involves imposing generalized ideas about women and their oppression in ways that homogenize women across different cultures and contexts.

What does homogenization of women's interests and desires mean?

It means treating women as though they share the same interests, desires, and experiences regardless of their cultural, historical, or political context.

How does Mohanty argue that the "Third World woman" is produced?

The "Third World woman" is produced as a generalized figure who is portrayed as oppressed and lacking freedom and education, in contrast to Western women.

What does Mohanty critique about portraying Third World women as powerless?

She critiques the practice of finding supposedly "powerless" groups of women to prove the broader claim that women as a group are powerless.

What does discursive colonization rob women of?

It robs women of their historical and political agency.

What is European colonialism in Southeast Asia?

European powers colonized or controlled various parts of Southeast Asia, including Portugal, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, Britain, and France.

Which Southeast Asian territory was controlled by Portugal?

East Timor was controlled by Portugal from 1511 to 1975.

Which Southeast Asian country was colonized by Spain?

The Philippines was controlled by Spain from 1565 to 1898.

Who took control of the Philippines after Spain?

The United States took control of the Philippines after Spain in 1898 and held it until 1946.

What religion was brought to the Philippines by Spain?

Christianity was brought to the Philippines by Spain.

Which Southeast Asian country was controlled by the Netherlands?

Indonesia was controlled by the Netherlands.

What was important about the Dutch presence in Indonesia?

The spice trade was an important factor in Dutch involvement in Indonesia.

What was the VOC?

The VOC was the Dutch organization connected to trade and colonial activity; the notes describe it as connected to the Dutch government.

Which Southeast Asian areas were under British control?

Burma, Penang, Singapore, Malacca, and Malaysia were among the areas under British control.

What happened to Burma in relation to Britain?

Burma negotiated independence in 1948.

What was the Straits Settlement?

The Straits Settlement included Penang, Singapore, and Malacca and existed from 1874 to 1914.

When did Malaysia gain independence according to the notes?

Malaysia gained independence in 1957.

Which Southeast Asian country was controlled by France?

Vietnam was controlled by France.

What was French Indochina?

By 1907, French Indochina included Cochin China, Annam, Tongking, Laos, and Cambodia.

Which Southeast Asian country remained independent during European colonialism?

Thailand was the only country in the region that stayed independent.

Why was Thailand able to remain sovereign?

Thailand served as a buffer between English and French territories and ceded some territory through agreements in order to remain sovereign.

When does Islam arrive in Southeast Asia according to the notes?

Islam arrives in Southeast Asia in the early 13th century.

How did Islam spread to Southeast Asia?

Arab and Indian traders brought Islam to Southeast Asia.

What is Indianization?

Indianization refers to the influence and adoption of Indian culture, religion, and ideas in Southeast Asia.

How did Hinduism and Buddhism influence Southeast Asia?

Hindu and Buddhist influences appeared in Southeast Asian architecture and contributed to Indianization.

What is the Warrior Theory of Indianization?

The Warrior Theory argues that Indian warriors and conquerors came to Southeast Asia and established political dominance through physical force.

What is the Indian Trader Theory?

The Indian Trader Theory argues that Hindu ideas entered Southeast Asia through the circulation of Indian traders.

What is the Southeast Asian Take Initiative theory?

The theory, associated with J.C. van Leur, argues that Southeast Asians were active participants in adopting Indian culture and religion and that the resulting religion became syncretic.

According to J.C. van Leur, where did Indianization come from?

It came from inland Southeast Asia, particularly through rulers and elites.

How did early Chinese trade affect Indianization?

China had connections with Southeast Asia for centuries but could not completely control trade, allowing Indian influence to enter through this gap.

When did Chinese migration to Southeast Asia significantly increase?

Chinese migration significantly increased later, in the late 18th century.

What is localization according to Wolters?

Localization is the process by which something foreign enters a society but is transformed into something more local.

Why is localization important for studying Southeast Asia?

Localization allows scholars to study local cultural differences historically and pay attention to elements beyond foreign materials.

What does Wolters mean by a "cultural mosaic"?

The cultural mosaic refers to the diverse local cultures of Southeast Asia that can be studied after looking beyond foreign influences.

What are "men of prowess"?

Men of prowess were leaders in pre-colonial Southeast Asia who gained political authority through personal spiritual potency, skill, and success rather than through hierarchical lineages.

How did men of prowess gain authority?

They gained authority through personal spiritual potency, skill, and success.

What happened to men of prowess after death?

They could be worshipped after death because of their perceived spiritual potency.

What was leadership dependent on for men of prowess?

Leadership depended on being attributed a significant amount of personal and innate "soul stuff."

How was authority organized in pre-colonial Southeast Asia?

Authority was spread across shifting alliances, with leaders finding new genealogies.

What does it mean that recognition of authority was "always a local matter"?

It means that authority was determined and recognized within particular local contexts rather than through one universal hierarchy.

How does power differ between the secular West and early Southeast Asia?

In the secular West, power is understood as forceful and abstract between humans, while in early Southeast Asia, power involved attracting followers who tapped into a person's potency.

How was power understood in early Southeast Asia?

Power was understood as something concrete and intangible, associated with potency, refinement, stillness, and the ability to attract followers.

What is "natureculture" according to Errington?

Natureculture describes the idea that the natural world and human society are deeply entangled and form a single system.

What is "sexgender"?

Sexgender describes the idea that sex and gender are deeply linked.

What does Errington contrast with the Western sex system?

Errington examines tropes and ideas in Southeast Asia that contrast with the Western sex system.

How does the Western sex system classify people?

Sex is understood as a complex of beliefs about genitals that creates two mutually exclusive categories.

How do behavior and dress function in the Western sex system?

Behavior, dress, and other social attributes are treated as signs of membership in a particular genital/sex category.

How are gender differences treated in the Southeast Asian context discussed by Errington?

Gender differences are downplayed, while complementarity is emphasized.

What is bilateral kinship?

Bilateral kinship means that both sons and daughters inherit wealth, land, and titles.

How did women compare financially to men in the Southeast Asian societies discussed by Errington?

Compared with China and India, women had higher financial power and were usually the ones who dealt with money.

Why can financial control by women be misleading when discussing power?

Women's control over practical matters and money could be considered lower prestige or lower spiritual potency.

Why aren't "equality" and "power" enough to understand gender differences in Southeast Asia?

They do not fully capture how differences between men and women were understood and organized in Southeast Asian societies.

What does Errington mean by "unitary power → fractured"?

Power began as a unitary ancestral source of potency but became fractured into different forms expressed through hierarchy and complementarity.

What is potency in Errington's framework?

Potency is an ancestral, unitary source of power.

What happens when potency becomes fractured?

The fracture of potency produces hierarchy and complementarity.

How is hierarchy expressed in Southeast Asian gender/power systems?

Hierarchy is expressed through age and seniority.

How are terms of respect determined?

Terms of respect are based on seniority.

How are sibling terms marked?

Sibling terms are more strongly marked by generation than by gender.

How is complementarity expressed?

Complementarity is expressed through gender.

What is the significance of brother-sister relationships?

Brother-sister relationships are foundational, including in the relationship between husbands and wives.

Why is the brother-sister relationship important?

It is viewed as the most harmonious relationship and represents complementarity.

What are dual-gendered deities?

Dual-gendered deities combine masculine and feminine opposites together.

What is "unity of opposites"?

Unity of opposites is a feature of power in which seemingly opposite categories are brought together rather than treated as completely separate.

How is the divine related to unity?

The divine is understood as unitary.

What does it mean that the closer someone is to the divine, the more they resemble the state?

Nobility and closeness to the divine are associated with resembling the unified state of power.

Why are priests significant in Errington's discussion?

Priests can contain gendered opposites together, representing the unity of opposites.

How does age affect gender according to the notes?

The social categories of male and female can be tied to sexual productivity; pre-puberty children and post-menopausal women can be socially gender-neutral.

What does "no hormones, no gender" mean in the notes?

It describes the idea that social gender categories can be connected to hormonal/sexual productivity rather than simply anatomy.

How does Southeast Asian gender differ from the Western understanding of gender?

In the Southeast Asian framework discussed by Errington, gender is not necessarily a direct reflection of anatomical differences.

When does anatomy become explicitly gendered according to the notes?

Anatomy was not even explicitly gendered until the late 18th century.

What did the gendering of anatomy help lay the groundwork for?

It helped lay the groundwork for scientific racism in the 19th century.

What does Errington mean by saying "sex, like any gender system, is a mythic structure"?

She argues that sex categories are not simply objective reflections of anatomy; like gender systems, they are structured through cultural beliefs and meanings.