Sex/Gender presents a relatively new way to think about how biological difference can be produced over time in response to different environmental and social experiences.
This book gives a clearly written explanation of the biological and cultural underpinnings of gender. Anne Fausto-Sterling provides an introduction to the biochemistry, neurobiology, and social construction of gender with expertise and humor in a style accessible to a wide variety of readers. In addition to the basics, Sex/Gender ponders the moral, ethical, social and political side to this inescapable subject.
An interview with the author! WOMR - The Lowdown with Ira Wood - Sex an Gender Identity with Anne Fausto-Sterling: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/womr/.jukebox?action=viewMedia&mediaId=1025429
Chapter 1: A Genderless Future? Chapter 2: Of Spirals and Layers. Chapter 3: Of Molecules and Sex. Chapter 4: Of Hormones and Brains. Chapter Five: Am I a Boy or a Girl?-- The Emergence of Gender Identity. Chapter 6: Thinking about Homosexuality. Chapter 7: Thinking about Groups; Thinking about Individuals. Chapter 8: Pink and Blue Forever. Chapter 9: The Developmental Dynamics of Pink and Blue. Chapter 10: Epilogue:The Future of Gender (and Sex).
Biography
Anne Fausto-Sterling, the Nancy Duke Lewis Professor of Biology and Gender Studies at Brown University, is a leading expert on the development of gender identity as well as the biology of gender. Her latest research analyzes the emergence of behavioral differences between the sexes in early childhood. She is the author of two earlier books: Myths of Gender: Biological Theories about Women and Men (Basic, 1993) and Sexing the Body: gender politics and the construction of sexuality (Basic, 2000).
"Finally! This is the book we need to teach the dynamic nature of biology to our gender and sexuality students. Pushing us beyond simple stories of nature and nurture, Anne Fausto-Sterling gets us to see the world developmentally. With this book we can think the future of gender and sexuality in biologically sophisticated ways."
—Elizabeth A Wilson, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Emory University"Fausto-Sterling gives the reader a fascinating account of why sex is not a unitary phenomenon but rather a cumulative composite of separate components that, in the case of humans, has some unique attributes (e.g., legal sex, gender identity, gender role and partner preference). This book is ideal for those of us that want to better understand the biological bases of human sexuality but it is equally informative to those that still struggle with the fact sex / gender is neither binary nor canonical."
—David Crews, Integrative Biology and Psychology, University of Texas at Austin
"Many books on sex/gender are either approachable or sophisticated; this book combines the two better than anything yet written. Who besides Anne Fausto-Sterling could pack so much information from so many different approaches into one tight little book on sex/gender? Fausto-Sterling synthesizes approaches and examples from biology, anthropology, psychology, sociology, genetics, medicine and more to craft a provocative and erudite overview of sex and gender - what we know now, how we know it, and - crucially - how our thinking and future research could be clearer and more useful."
—Rebecca M. Jordan-Young, Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, Barnard College
