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Paperback
Publisher: Basic Books
Why do some people prefer heterosexual love while others fancy the same sex? Is sexual identity biologically determined or a product of convention? In this brilliant and provocative book, the acclaimed author of Myths of Gender argues that even the most fundamental knowledge about sex is shaped by the culture in which scientific knowledge is produced.Drawing on astonishing real-life cases and a probing analysis of centuries of scientific research, Fausto-Sterling demonstrates how scientists have historically politicized the body. In lively and impassioned prose, she breaks down three key dualisms - sex/gender, nature/nurture, and real/constructed - and asserts that individuals born as mixtures of male and female exist as one of five natural human variants and, as such, should not be forced to compromise their differences to fit a flawed societal definition of normality.
Anyone who has been following the new brain science in the popular press--and even those whose casual reading includes journals along the lines of Psychoneuroendocrinology--will be fascinated by the puckish observations of Brown University biologist Anne Fausto-Sterling, whose provocative and erudite essays easily establish the cultural biases underlying current scientific thought on gender. She goes on to critique the science itself, exposing inconsistencies in the literature and weaknesses in the rhetorical and theoretical structures that support new research. "One of the major claims I make in this book," she explains, "is that labeling someone a man or a woman is a social decision. We may use scientific knowledge to help us make the decision, but only our beliefs about gender--not science--can define our sex. Furthermore, our beliefs about gender affect what kinds of knowledge scientists produce about sex in the first place." Whether discussing genital surgery on intersex infants or the amorous lives of lab rats, the author is unfailingly clear and convincing, and manages to impart humor to subjects as seemingly unpromising as neuroanatomy and the structure of proteins. --Regina Marler
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| It's lengthy but worthwhile reading |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This is an excellent book where the author discusses both the biological and social (environmental) aspects of gender to show the process of how society imprints meaning to our sexual bodies.
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| sex & gender |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Sexing the Body is a thick book, and an important one. The section of footnotes is nearly as long as the text of the book (which can be complicated when reading; I ended up using two bookmarks). That said, it covers the part of the conversation that most of us don't have when we talk about the difference between sex and gender. I have a friend who reads my stuff - she's a feminist, and smart. But whenever I say that we don't really know if there are only two sexes, she always writes "you mean genders here?" in the margin. But no, I mean sex. I mean XX or XY. Or "with penis" or "with clitoris." And that's exactly what Anne Fausto-Sterling covers in this book: how we came to decide that there are two sexes, how (through the times) science came to that standard, and why it's wrong and when it's wrong.
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| The science of gender |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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This book is covers the science and politics of gender in a readable language. Fausto-Sterling examines biological experiments on lab animals as well as the history behind our concepts of male and female. She describes gender as an "interaction between small groups of people...[that] involves institutional rules."
It's a well thoughtout book full of useful information to anyone studying gender.
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| Gender seen from a particular perspective |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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As a transgendered person who is trying to read as much information as possible about gender, this book does supply alot of historic, scientific and theoretical background. It is another important addition to my library. That being said, I was taken aback by her comments regarding transexuals on pp 253 as a "type of human" and "stereotypical member of their sex to be". If I misunderstood the inference, I apologize. If not, I am greatly offended and wonder why marginalizing my existence supports yours. Read Judith Butler as a comparison to this work.
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| Understanding Gender Through A New Lens |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Anne Fausto-Sterling's account of all genders and sexes (not just male/female, but everything in between) provides a humanitarian outlook which demonstrates just how far our culture will go to enforce gender dichotomies. About one in 5000 births results in an intersexed (ambiguous genitalia) infant. Most of the time doctors assign a sex to these babies, believing they could never grow into well-adjusted adults with ambigious sex organs. Yet, these surgeries usually include the removal of some or all nerve tissue leading most post operative intersexed people wishing they had never been touched when they grow older. Some of these stories are truly heart breaking and Fausto-Sterling not only explores the history behind these surgeries, but their impact on the day to day lives of thousands of individuals. Giving voice to a group that's not heard from much in mainstream media, Sexing the Body is a must read for anyone interested in the development of gender identity or social injustice.
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