The “Ueno Chizuko Phenomenon”: Translating Feminist Modernity Across East Asia

The “Ueno Chizuko phenomenon” describes the popularity and influence of Japanese feminist scholar Ueno Chizuko in East Asia, particularly in China and South Korea, through translations of her work. This paper examines how the translation and dissemination of Ueno’s Woman-Haters: Misogyny in Japan has contributed to the regional circulation of feminist ideas, illustrating the complex process of cross-cultural negotiation and the creation of localized meanings as an example of translingual practice. The paper further argues that these translingual practices have reshaped the previously patriarchal translated modernity in East Asia, with a transnational feminist re-articulation of modernity—one that critically addresses the historical exclusion of women’s voices in shaping modern culture and promotes a transnational feminist identity within East Asia. By analyzing Ueno’s early engagements with Taiwanese feminist writer Li Ang, the paper emphasizes the interconnectedness of feminist struggles across East Asia and the transformative potential of cross-cultural dialogues in fostering an inclusive re-translation of modernity in the region.