Martha Avery
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Subjects -> History -> Asia -> China -> General
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> China -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Mongolia
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
Unique women , unique culture 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Martha Avery has, in this fascinating collection of autobiographical accounts from Mongolian women, presented a unique and varied perspective on the dramatic changes affecting this country in transition toward democracy and a capitalist economy. She draws her portraits from women of all walks of life, rural and urban, educated and uneducated. And, while Avery does not draw any sociopolitical conclusions from these brief biographies or claim any unique vision of Mongolia through these women, an overall pattern does emerge of women intensely involved with their own destinies and with the destiny of the Mongolian People's Republic, its land and people. Avery has chosen women from a broad spectrum of educational backgrounds and professions: archaeologists and artists, craftswomen and camel herders, social worker and street sweepers. All of these women are educated or at least value higher education and seek it for their daughters. There is a strong sense of continuity with previous generations, as women describe what their mothers and fathers have done and relate it to their own goals. Mongolian women do not have the same history of male dominance that we find in Chinese culture. Although Mongolian culture has always been nominally patriarchal, there are many examples of capable women heading households and even governments. This sort of potential comes through clearly in Avery's portraits. These are resourceful dynamic women who are active participants in the current climate of ongoing changes that affect Mongolia. From the tractor driver who still reveres Lenin to the Buddhist grandmother, from the new mother the the cabinet minister, each woman has a vision for herself and for her family and all share a common sense of active control in their own lives.
An interesting view of history also arises from these women's stories. One woman described her husband as having come from Inner Mongolia. She then amends this noting that, in fact, it was the husband?s ancestors who had immigrated over 200 years earlier; making it apparent that to this couple a sense of tribal history and of belonging to the tribe trancends the generations. Woven into each woman's tale are some details on Mongolian life and culture: how to set up and arrange a yurt, the making of buttered tea, traditional Mongolian painting styles, the making of felt. Avery shows her women working side-by-side with their men, equitable and outspoken partners in their relationships.
In some ways Avery?s book presents a limited and somewhat simplistic portrait of Mongolia. The individual stories are quite short, a feature that, although frustrating to the reader seeking a more comprehensive look at these women, does allows her to include over forty women and yet not overwhelm the more casual reader. She has carefully selected these women with an eye to diversity of both background and opinion. One major asset of the work is the exceptional collection of photographs that add intriguing cultural details like the storage of tools in a yurt or the variety of tribal costume. Avery sees herself primarily as a reporter, limiting her own interpretations to her preface, preferring to question and observe her subjects and let their responses speak for themselves. The benefit of Avery?s collection of stories is nothing specifically stated in the text, but rather the overall view, of these various Mongolian women as vibrant, hardworking and self-reliant individuals who choose to be active participants in their society and their own futures.
