Vietnamese lived religion, Confucianism and women: goddess spirituality in Nguyễn Dữ’s the young woman from Nam Xuong

• Published in: Humanities & social sciences communications Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 167 - 8
• Main Author: Nguyen Thi Kim, Ngan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Palgrave Macmillan 01-12-2024; Springer Nature
• Subjects: Confucius (551-479 BC); Religion; Spirituality; Suicides & suicide attempts; Women; Vietnam
• ISSN: 2662-9992; 2662-9992
• DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-02656-8

Abstract
Vietnam as a nation is deeply rooted in the wet-rice agricultural civilization, which is characterized by the
Yin
(female) principle and the religion worshiping Mother Goddess. However, Chinese Confucianism significantly influenced Vietnam throughout the feudal dynasties (10–19th centuries). Confucian kingship propagates symbols of
virtuous women
to establish the moral order of a male-dominated society. In contrast, by practicing
lived religion
and spreading folk narratives, Vietnamese people turn
virtuous women
into Mother Goddess with a liberal, creative and patronage identity. This study, thus, examines the position of women in Confucian Nguyễn Dữ’s
The Young Woman from Nam Xuong
, a canonical story reconstructed from legend. It is important to address the main concern about metaphors of a duality culture and a conflict discourse of Confucian politics and Vietnamese lived religion through the issue of
Goddess spirituality
. This article uses an interdisciplinary approach to demonstrate that resistance to Chinese Dominance and anti-Sinicization were significant issues of Vietnamese medieval literature and culture.