Gender

by V. Geetha

Addressing students and the general reader, this series introduces key concepts in feminist theory. Any reader will find the series vitally useful, not just for understanding what new theories mean and how they are used but also for grasping how they have evolved. In her incisive discussion V. Geetha points out that gender is everywhere, and when we allocate to the male and female sexes, specific and distinctive attributes and roles, we are doing gender. She suggests insightfully that gender is both part of the world we live in, as well as a way of understanding the world provocative and jargon-free, the book shows how gender identities mesh with those constituted by caste, class, religion and sexual preferences, forming a set of arrangements that have evolved through history. It enables the reader to undertake a fresh and critical analysis of what we consider to be normal and given, to ask questions, to take stock of the self and the world.

Genres: Gender

150 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[Alex Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a beginner in the studies of feminism, pick up this book. Geetha beautifully goes on tracing how feminist studies went wrong, how sexuality defined us, how motherhood made the difference, what 'being a man' is, the theories of gender and what happens when we are a man or a woman. The book is a pathway on how gender defines us and how we define our gender. How small menial everyday things we do, eating, speaking, walking and our gestures are defined by gender norms. How carrying a baby in the womb makes all the difference? Why should a woman be beautiful and a man virile? The book is a study on 'Gender' and ends at a comprehensive note leaving the reader to think, 'How much gendered am I?'

[Sam McColl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm writing a novel set in India and Scotland. Some of the India bit is set within a community called the Hijras. This is a section of Indian society commonly know as the third gender. This small book written by a Hijra woman of enormous courage has been invaluable in my research. Read it guys!

[Ankur Goyal]

As told by the author, this book can be treated as the basic material on feminism. The book gives insight into different aspects of feminism like social, religious, Psychological, scientific etc. So who all support feminism should read this book.