La chasteté, d’un devoir vers un droit, au prisme du débat (1914-1916) autour de Seitō

Abstract

In September 1914, the publication of Ikuta Hanayo’s article “Eating and Keeping Chaste”, in Hankyō (Resonance), started the debate which lasted about two years. As the author declared having given up her virginity to feed her family, the article first provoked a hostile reaction from the women of the Seitō Society, then that reaction quickly spread beyond that private circle and lead to a debate on the value of chastity, among women as well as men.This article will try to clarify the social and judicial context in which such a debate had first arisen, especially by focusing on the three following aspects that are at its core: the definition of chastity, the value of virginity and sexual inequality in chastity.

Keywords

• Feminism
• Seitō
• Chastity
• Sex equality
• Justice