Books by Beverly Bossler

The realignment of the social order that occurred over the course of the Sung dynasty set the pattern for Chinese society over most of the later imperial era. Bossler examines that realignment from the perspective of specific families, using data on Sung elites-grand councilors who led the bureaucracy and locally prominent gentlemen in Wu-chou.

Bossler traces changing gender relations in China from the tenth to fourteenth centuries by examining three critical categories of women: courtesans, concubines, and faithful wives. Bossler illustrates how these groups intersected and interacted with men, influencing the social, political, and intellectual life of the Song and Yuan dynasties.