Gender in cross-cultural perspective

The initial idea for this reader came from the experience of teaching undergraduate courses in
gender and anthropology. In reviewing the textbooks available for an introductory course, we came
to the conclusion that there was a need for a readable text that built on the classic contributions of
the 1970s while incorporating the more recent and diverse literature on gender roles and ideology
around the world. Although a number of sophisticated theoretical works devoted to this subject
existed, we felt there was a dearth of classroom material available in one volume and appropriate for
less advanced students, whether undergraduates or beginning graduate students.
We have had several goals in mind as we selected materials for the sixth edition. As in previous
editions, we want to introduce students to the most significant topics in the field of the anthropol-
ogy of gender. These include the study of men and women in prehistory; the relationship between
biology and culture; the cultural construction of masculinity, femininity, sexuality, personhood, and
the body; variations in the sexual division of labor and economic organization; women's involvement
in ritual and religion; and the impact of the state and the global economy on gender relations and
gender identities. In this edition, we have added some additional articles on lesbian and gay identities.
We have always considered it important to maintain the broad cross-cultural coverage evident
in the first edition of this book. This breadth encourages comparative analysis of the themes under
discussion and allows us to address issues of gender in industrial society as well as in developing
societies. In this edition, we have added a few more articles based on research in North America as
well as replaced some older articles with those based on more current field research in some of the
sections. Some may find a favorite article no longer in the book. We thought hard about this and
decided, based on our own experiences of teaching the class, that several of these articles no longer
had an impact on twenty-first century students. We are always willing to receive feedback regarding
these "classics."
In the sixth edition, we have asked several new authors to write original pieces (Covey, Gulbas,
Joyce, Parikh, Matza, Bowen, Lewin, Santos, and MacDonald) or to adapt previously published pieces
for use here (Hirsch, Childs, Brennan, Moodie, Osella and Osella). In this edition, we have also
continued to expand the number of studies that deal with masculinity and male gender roles (Santos,
Osella and Osella, Lewin).
Although we have maintained a commitment to combining theoretically and ethnographically
based essays in the book, in this edition we have included more case studies, choosing to incorporate
the broader theoretical questions in our section introductions. In these introductions, we continue to
review as clearly as possible some of the significant issues debated in particular subject areas within the
anthropology of gender. These introductions, updated for the current edition, are intended to orient
students to the essays in the section and to provide a context in which readers can understand more
fully each essay. Each introduction concludes with a list of references that can be used by teachers
and students to examine further the questions raised in that section.
We have maintained the order of the fifth edition but retitled and reorganised the final section to
We do not expect all instructors to assign the sections in the order that they appear in the text.
better represent the articles contained in it. The order makes sense to us, but our ultimate goal is
be related to essays in other sections. We also have no intention of imposing a particular theoretical
to provide for maximum flexibility in teaching. Indeed, there are essays in some sections that can
that reflect a variety of theoretical orientations to enable instructors to emphasize their own approach
perspective, although our own predilections may be apparent to some readers. We include readings
desires, can be complemented by the use of full ethnographies.