Sexing the Body
Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality
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Sexing the Body
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Narrated by:
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Carol Monda
About this listen
Now updated with groundbreaking research, this award-winning classic examines the construction of sexual identity in biology, society, and history.
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 audiobook, 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.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2008 Anne Fausto-Sterling (P)2020 Hachette AudioCritic Reviews
"There is nobody I trust more to guide me on the topic of sex and gender than Anne Fausto-Sterling. She is unequivocally brilliant. As masterful, fresh, and vital as it has always been, this new edition of Sexing the Body should be required reading for everyone, especially now." (Angela Saini, author of Superior and Inferior)
"A fascinating and essential book, at once vigorous, erudite, amiable, and sly." (Natalie Angier)
"Boldly eschewing binary conceits, Sexing the Body remains a groundbreaking appraisal of the broad spectrum of human experience. Anne Fausto-Sterling's fluency with both biological science and social theory still dazzles. And we now inhabit a world this perceptive book helped us to apprehend. It remains a work of enduring power and impact. A bona fide classic." (Alondra Nelson, author of The Social Life of DNA)
What listeners say about Sexing the Body
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-05-2022
Important to know content (somewhat outdated terminology)
Sexing the body outlines the ways in which scientific understanding of sex and gender have been heavily influenced by societal conceptions of sex and gender as binaries. Fausto-Sterling breaks down the origins of how we came to believe certain ideas about biological sex by leading the reader through the studies and scientific writings which developed and/or perpetuated these ideas and misconceptions. Illuminating how personal bias and subjective interpretation has resulted in a superficial and muted understanding of gender/sex. When there’s so much depth to explore in the human experience of gender.
As this book was written 20 years ago, a lot of the language is outdated and somewhat limited by today’s standards. The author addresses this in an afterword, however further exploration of how we understand gender experiences today would be interesting from this author. Just a warning for Intersex readers, Fausto-Sterling repeatedly uses a word which may now be considered a slur. The author justifies this by the historical context of the content. But I feel there were times it was used unnecessarily.
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