Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective

by Caroline B. Brettell, Carolyn F. Sargent

This reader introduces students/readers to the most significant topics in the field of anthropology of gender–drawing not only from classic sources, but also from the most recent, diverse literature on gender roles and ideology around the world. It takes a clear, accessible approach to the subject matter, making coverage appropriate for students from various levels.

Genres: Anthropology, School, Nonfiction, Gender, Feminism, Anthologies, Cultural

600 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Mia]

I generally enjoyed this, though I didn’t read all of the articles in it (there are many). Some, mostly those about ethnographic theory, are pretty dry, but others give fascinating insight into gender as it factors into kinship, sexuality, labour, and all manner of other things.

Nancy Scheper-Hughes’ “Lifeboat Ethics: Mother Love and Child Death in Northeast Brazil” got me thinking about the complexity of motherhood and the complications that can result from disrupted or burdened bonding between mothers and their children, which set me on my own path towards writing a paper about maternal regret based on seven mothers I interviewed who regretted having children.

[Tabi]

An informative look at gender across cultures, past and present, with a heavy focus on women and women's roles in societies.
An updated edition would include more than a brief mention of third gender people, would acknowledge the existence of intersex people, and would discuss transgender women appropriately. Given the publication date of this edition (2001), this text still has a lot of historical relevance.

[Mario Moreno]

I think I liked the individual articles more than the overall book. This was a textbook I used for a class; I read most of it during the course and then went back later to finish the rest. So I would say my rating reflects the specific articles that I enjoyed rather than the entire collection.

[Susan Marie]

The subject matter is disturbing and fascinating but the book itself reads like a medical manual. Extremely small print, no breaks, too much data.

[Courtney Mosier Warren]

Most anthropology books at this level are a headache to read. This one was fascinating and well-written. I want to keep my copy even after my class has finished instead of reselling it.

[Anna C]

(Flipped around and read the articles that interested me, only 30 of the 45 total, so shelving this as 'cheated-abridged.')

[Namrirru]

A class text of mine I thought was very interesting. It's an anthology of ground-breaking articles in gender studies. It has many topics that are frequently cited in other texts, only these are the original articles and are in much more detail. Such as sati and hijras in India, naming in China, violence in New Guinea, funeral pratices in Kenya, and economic roles in the domestic sphere of women, etc. Lots of good articles.

[Lori]

I enjoyed learning about how gender is constructed in a variety of cultures around the world, and I came away from the book hopeful that we can one day return to the egalitarianism that characterized early societies.

[Megan]

This was my textbook for a Gender in a Global Perspective class. The essays collected in it are interesting and I definitely anyone interested in learning more about gender across the world checks it out.

[Carrie]

gender studies

[Anne Holly]

Nice collection of essays. Every student/teacher of gender (and topics that could use a gender dimension) will find something interesting in here.

[Holly]

A lot of interesting works on gender across the world!!

[Juliette]

didn't actually read 100% of this book for my gender studies class, but we probably read a good 75 % of it if not more.

[Serena Yates]

review to follow