As Equals: The Oei Women of Java
In this talk, 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.
Date and Time: Nov 8, 2023, from 11:00am HST
Registration:
