Organizer: Columbia University Weatherhead East Asian Institute, C.V. Starr East Asian Library, and NYSEAN

Type/Location: Hybrid / New York City

Description:

Daryl Yeap presents her new book As Equals: The Oei Women of Java. The book tells the fascinating story of Oei Hui-lan (aka Madame Wellington Koo), Ida Oei and Lucy Ho Oei, daughters and wife of Asia's richest man at the turn of the 20th century -- Oei Tiong-ham. Born at the height of Sinophobic fears and at a time when the great majority of Chinese women continued to live under the Confucian veil, the three women defied social conventions and punctured through cultural stereotypes – showing to the world that they were the epitome of the modern woman - - sophisticated, educated, sexually aware, and above all, fiercely independent.

The talk will focus on the early years and the circumstances that shaped their lives – from the elaborate social networks of the Chinese community in the Dutch East Indies to the colonial policies in South East Asia.

This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and co-sponsored by the C.V. Starr East Asian Library and NYSEAN.

Speaker:

Daryl Yeap, Independent Researcher

Discussant:

Lien-Hang Nguyen, Dorothy Borg Chair in the History of the United States and East Asia, Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University

Moderator:

Jim Cheng, Director, C.V. Starr East Asian Library, Columbia University

Registration:

To register, click here.