Gender Transgressions

This collection, comprising nine critical essays from prominent and emerging medievalists, seeks to explore the different ways in which French authors of the Middle Ages transgress normative social and cultural gender codes in their literary works Offering fresh approaches to texts that have long been subjected to polarized critical analyses, the essays challenge traditional interpretations of gender roles in Old French literature, especially in the thematic areas of sexual deviation and transgression. This corpus emerges as possessing multiple shades and subtleties of meaning, long buried or ignored by conventional approaches to these texts. This is a conclusion much more in accord with what we know about the ability of the medieval imagination to grasp multiple meaning from a single word or act. The collection provides many examples of this multi-layering of transgressive meaning. Through the detailed studies of gender transgressions such as incest, cross-dressing, rape and homoeroticism, the reader will come to understand the many facets of the literary expression of sexuality in selected Old French texts, products of a society that was at least as diverse and complex as our own. These studies will be of particular value to those interested in Old French and gender studies by dint of accessible analyses of texts both familiar and arcane. The provocative subject matter makes the studies original and eminently readable.

This collection, comprising nine critical essays from prominent and emerging medievalists, seeks to explore the different ways in which French authors of the Middle Ages transgress normative social and cultural gender codes in their literary works Offering fresh approaches to texts that have long been subjected to polarized critical analyses, the essays challenge traditional interpretations of gender roles in Old French literature, especially in the thematic areas of sexual deviation and transgression. This corpus emerges as possessing multiple shades and subtleties of meaning, long buried or ignored by conventional approaches to these texts. This is a conclusion much more in accord with what we know about the ability of the medieval imagination to grasp multiple meaning from a single word or act. The collection provides many examples of this multi-layering of transgressive meaning. Through the detailed studies of gender transgressions such as incest, cross-dressing, rape and homoeroticism, the reader will come to understand the many facets of the literary expression of sexuality in selected Old French texts, products of a society that was at least as diverse and complex as our own. These studies will be of particular value to those interested in Old French and gender studies by dint of accessible analyses of texts both familiar and arcane. The provocative subject matter makes the studies original and eminently readable.

Material Transgressions reveals how Romantic-era authors think outside of historical and theoretical ideologies that reiterate notions of sexed bodies, embodied subjectivities, isolated things, or stable texts. The essays gathered here examine how Romantic writers rethink materiality, especially the subject-object relationship, in order to challenge the tenets of Enlightenment and the culture of sensibility that privileged the hegemony of the speaking and feeling lyric subject and to undo supposedly invariable matter, and representations of it, that limited their writing, agency, knowledge, and even being. In this volume, the idea of transgression serves as a flexible and capacious discursive and material movement that braids together fluid forms of affect, embodiment, and textuality. The texts explored offer alternative understandings of materiality that move beyond concepts that fix gendered bodies and intellectual capacities, whether human or textual, idea or thing. They enact processes – assemblages, ghost dances, pack mentality, reiterative writing, shapeshifting, multi-voiced choric oralities – that redefine restrictive structures in order to craft alternative modes of being in the world that can help us to reimagine materiality both in the Romantic period and now. Such dynamism not only reveals a new materialist imaginary for Romanticism but also unveils textualities, affects, figurations, and linguistic movements that alter new materialism’s often strictly ontological approach. List of contributors: Kate Singer, Ashley Cross, Suzanne L. Barnett, Harriet Kramer Linkin, Michael Gamer, Katrina O’Loughlin, Emily J. Dolive, Holly Gallagher, Jillian Heydt-Stevenson, Mary Beth Tegan, Mark Lounibos, Sonia Hofkosh, David Sigler, Chris Washington, Donelle Ruwe, Mark Lussier.

"I have found Spade and Valentine's Kaleidoscope of Gender to be the most effective reader that I have used in my undergraduate Sociology of Gender class, and I was delighted to see what promises to be an even better second edition that recently arrived." -Linda Grant, University of Georgia "In a substantial theoretical introduction, Spade and Valentine move their discussion forward by introducing their kaleidoscope metaphor which is comprised of the "prisms" of culture...that intersect to produce patterns of difference and systems of privilege. Because it captures the fluidity and uniqueness of the intricate patterns, the kaleidoscope is a valuable analytical tool. Though it enters a terrain already littered with terminology, this "prismatic" understanding of gender has great potential for transforming current conceptualizations." -Jennifer Keys, North Central College Examining the elusive, evolving construct of gender in a unique text/ reader format An accessible, timely, and stimulating introduction to the sociology of gender, The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive analysis of key ideas, theories, and applications in this field as viewed through the metaphor of a kaleidoscope. This collection of creative articles by top scholars explains how the complex, evolving pattern of gender is constructed interpersonally, institutionally, and culturally and challenges students to question how gender shapes their daily lives. Like the prior edition, the Second Edition maintains a focus on contemporary contributions to the field while incorporating classical and theoretical arguments to provide a broad framework. Integrating a cross-cultural focus and intersectional inquiry, this unique text/reader

This book demonstrates the centrality of sex, gender, and sexuality to theories of human behaviors and practices. Moves beyond other “lesbian and gay studies” readers by presenting a broader view of the significance of studying same-sex cultures and sexualities across cultures. Offers readings from all four subfields of anthropology: cultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeological (along with historical and applied anthropology). Includes discussion of biotechnology and bioethics, health and illness, language, ethnicity, identity, politics, post-colonialism, kinship, development, and policymaking.

We all encounter others whose gender identities differ from our own, whether it is in the classroom, in public, in the media or online. For many, there is anxiety about which words to use in conversation and sometimes people keep quiet so as to not offend someone whose gender identity may not be readily discernible, when in actuality, what they desire is to understand, learn, and interact. This book offers practical research-based strategies for expanding personal, social and political awareness about gender-identity privileges - helping the reader to work through fears and unpack ingrained communication patterns and language. In order to better understand the ever-evolving landscape of gender identity the authors provide historical and political background for the transgender movement and consider how issues of age, culture, race, social class, media, celebrity and religion affect transgender identities. The book includes a glossary of key terms, a foreword from leading transgender rights activist, Jamison Green, and an afterword by Meredith Talusan, Contributing Editor at them. Written for educators and individuals committed to learning about changes and shifts in gender identities, this book gives grounded, real-time, practical and solution-oriented ideas and language about how to be a better communicator, listener and responder to trans and non-binary gender identities.

The papers in this collection consider how the study of masculinities in sport can be integrated with critical feminist studies, how to deal with the tendency to over-emphasize negative outcomes and the increasing trend to violence in sport.

Sexuality and Gender at Home is the first book to explore the meanings and experiences of home through the framework of sexuality. Looking at a broad spectrum of sexuality, gender and domesticity, it examines the many ways in which home is constructed, performed and experienced in relation to sexuality and gender. Considering identity issues such as age, class, ethnicity and gender, the authors problematize intimacy and question conventional ways of thinking about allegedly ‘private’ home space. Comprehensive introductions to each of the book’s three sections – on Intimacy and Home, Queering Home, Beyond Home – provide a coherent overview of the existing literature as well as additional historical and cultural context. Fourteen chapters present ground-breaking research and insights into sexuality, gender and home across culture, time and space. Written by academics from a range of subject disciplines, chapters are based on research covering countries including Australia, France, Sweden, the UK, the USA, Guyana, Israel, and Singapore.This highly original text is the ideal starting point for anyone wishing to get to grips with the emerging field of sexuality, gender and home and will particularly appeal to researchers and students in anthropology, architecture, gender studies, sociology, and human geography.