Women Of Yi Nationality And Bimo Religion In Liangshan: Impact Of The Religion Upon Gender Roles Of The Female

Why discuss impacts of Bimo Religion upon socialization? The first reason is that the whole society has been permeated by Bimo Religion, a local one of Yi in Liangshan, though, unlike Buddhism or Chnstianism, the religion doesn't have temple or church, and no special activities to affirm one's identity of believer, none of Yi can be able to resist its magic power. The second is that only clergies-Bimo allowed to inherit knowledge including religion rituals and something else. The last is that schooling was absent in traditional Yi society so family and community played the leading role in individuals' socialization. Then what determined that contents of socialization were to internalize taboos and rules? Just the culture, influenced deeply by Bimo Religion. So it is necessary to discuss the Religion in personal socialization.Then why emphasize effects on socialization of gender roles? The female group is inferior and subject to male group in social structure of Yi in Liangshan so Bimo Religion which took root in patrilineal families is sure to shape women in their whole life. I got this idea after reading a lot about Yi and from my own feelings in survey of 2003. Considering women's positions and religion's fundamental function of stabilizing society in nature, I want to find out roles that women are expected to play and how the religion realizes its expectation.The thesis begins with depicting women's ideal figures in view of Bimo Religion, according to analyses of clergies, magic instruments, Classics, regular rituals of the religion. Then I will focus on some special rituals used to socialize women at turning points in their life and see how it drives them into following the favored example. After this, I put doubt on whether the ideal roles of traditional women in the opinion of Bimo Religion can meet the demand of the modern female for the new ones.