Man Born of Man Alone : Male Motherhood in the History and Reception of Daoist Alchemy
This chapter deals with the male appropriation of motherhood as a metaphor for transformation in religious texts and practices. Particular attention is given to its historical uses and modern reception in the Daoist alchemical traditions. Through a textual study of the central Daoist text the Daodejing, gendered metaphors, particularly relating to motherhood and infancy are identified and analysed