When Sex Became Gender
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Synopsis:
How did the term "sex" develop into "gender"? And is it really true that a vibrant feminist movement disappeared entirely after suffrage gains were won, only to suddenly resurface in the late 1960s?
Conventional wisdom tells us that feminism died during the mid-twentieth century, but this version of the story is not entirely true. When Sex Became Gender brings to light dominant ideals about sex roles and the feminist critiques these generated in the years between World War II and the women's liberation movement of the 1960s. And in contrast with current books that drive a wedge between feminist generations, When Sex Became Gender highlights the continuities between postwar interest in sex roles and contemporary arguments about gender.
By establishing the historical and theoretical connections between feminist eras, Shira Tarrant shows how protofeminist ideas of the past served as the foundation for today's focus on the social construction of gender.
Topics/Categories:
Feminist Intellectual History, Feminist Political Theory, Sociology, Women's Studies
Genre:
Feminism, General Women's Studies - Interest
Type of Work:
Publishers:
Purchase From:
Amazon.com
Amazon Bookstore Cooperative
Original Publish Date:
June 1, 2006
Formats and associated ISBNs:
0415953472
Publishing Notes:
"Contrary to conventional wisdom, Shira Tarrant argues that feminism didn't languish between the 1920s and the 1960s. Instead, the conceptual foundations of second-wave feminism were created by a wave of extraordinarily imaginative and bold academic women in the early postwar years. In this original and indispensable book, Tarrant uncovers a crucial missing chapter in the history of modern feminism."
—Steven Seidman, author of Beyond the Closet and The Social Construction of Sexuality
"In When Sex Became Gender, Tarrant expounds on a relatively understudies period of feminist theory and incorporates figures that have not traditionally been included as part of the feminist canon. The book challenges us to see feminist theory as unfolding throughout history rather than being restricted to a few 'waves' of activism. An excellent work that strongly makes the case for the importance of the events of the 1950s and their influence on what was to follow."
—Judith Grant, author of Fundamental Feminism
Formats:
Paperback, Hardcover
- Share With:
