Paper short abstract:

By deconstructing Fukuzawa Yukichi's narrative about the Edo period's victimization of women by Confucianism, I will problematize the notion of Fukuzawa as an advocate of women's rights. Through my analysis I comment on history writing in the Meiji period and the assumptions at play then and now.

Paper long abstract:

My paper will problematize the notion of Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835-1901) as an advocate of women's rights. By deconstructing the narrative Fukuzawa created about the victimization of women by Confucianism in the Edo period in newspaper serials such as "On Japanese Women," "Critique on the Greater Learning for Women," and "New Greater Learning for Women," I will show that the accounts Fukuzawa bases his proposal for reform on, was not historically accurate, but was shaped thus to create a clear break with the past and to instil the reader with a sense of urgency. Furthermore, by comparing the sometimes progressive reforms he proposes in these articles with how he depicts an ideal future elsewhere, I will argue that the future Fukuzawa envisions is very much in line with the conservative ryōsai kenbo (good wife, wise mother) ideal, and that, therefore, the reforms he proposed must have served a purpose different from the empowerment of women. It is this purpose that my paper aims to uncover.

Usually Fukuzawa's texts on women are read separately from his other work as an expression of his deep concern for the plight of women. However, a comparison with this other work shows that the main drive behind the above texts was not the status of women in society, but the status of Japan in the world, and that consequently, the vilification of Confucianism and the victimization of women served the purpose of spreading customs such as monogamy as a means to make Japan appear more civilized. Therefore, these texts, as popular versions of his more intellectually challenging work, played an integral part in his civilization project. The main fallacies of the usual depiction of Fukuzawa are: they fail to recognise the constructed nature of Fukuzawa's historical narrative, and they do not look beyond these texts to see what concerns inform them. In other words, these texts have been read out of context. My paper will provide this context, while at same time it will lay bare some of the assumptions and prejudices that have caused these fallacies to go unnoticed for so long.