Kaleidoscope of gender: prisms, patterns, and possibilities

Accessible, timely, and stimulating, this provocative anthology provides an overview of the cutting-edge
research findings and theoretical frameworks in the field of gender studies. The “kaleidoscope" metaphor
helps students see the complex and dynamic meaning and practice of gender-especially as it interacts
with other social prisms. Focusing on contemporary contributions to gender studies while incorporating
frameworks and findings from the classical foundations of the field, these statements by top scholars and
activists—twenty new to this edition-explain how the complex, evolving patterns of gender are created
and changed by people as they interact at individual, group, and institutional levels of life.
NEW TO THIS EDITION
Twenty new readings offer fresh perspectives in a number of key areas, such as
• Sex and gender diversity, including the lives of intersex and transgender people
• Cross-national perspectives on gender, from Thailand, Ghana, and Ecuador
• Contemporary social movements for gender justice
Gender in the context of intimate relationships and family life
Updated chapter introductions include, for example, the most recent data available
on wages and household relationships in the United States.
KEY FEATURES
• The authors' introduction provides an overview of key theories in the
field, particularly theories based on a social-constructionist perspective.
• Chapter introductions contextualize the literature in each part of the book,
introduce the readings, and illustrate how they relate to analyses of gender.
• Questions to consider at the beginning of each reading help students focus
on key points as they read.
• Topics for Further Examination at the end of each chapter encourage
students to take their understanding beyond the book.