Third Sex, Third Gender: Beyond Sexual Dimorphism in Culture and History

by Gilbert Herdt (Editor)

Most modern discussions of the relationship of biological sex to gender presuppose that there are two genders, male and female, founded on the two biological sexes. But not all cultures share this essentialist assumption, and even Western societies have not always embraced it. Bringing together historical and anthropological studies, Third Sex, Third Gender challenges the usual emphasis on sexual dimorphism and reproduction, providing a unique perspective on the various forms of socialization of people who are neither “male” nor “female.”

The existence of a third sex or gender enables us to understand how Byzantine palace eunuchs and Indian hijras met the criteria of special social roles that necessitated practices such as self-castration, and how intimate and forbidden desires were expressed among the Dutch Sodomites in the early modern period, the Sapphists of eighteenth-century England, or the so-called hermaphrodite-homosexuals of nineteenth-century Europe and America. By contextualizing these practices and by allowing these bodies, meanings, and desires to emerge, Third Sex, Third Gender provides a new way to think about sex and gender systems that is crucial to contemporary debates within the social sciences.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction, Gender, Anthropology, Feminism, Gender Studies, LGBT

624 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Gilbert Herdt is a cultural anthropologist, Director of the Program in Human Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University, where he is also Professor of Human Sexuality Studies and Anthropology. His publications include nearly 30 single and edited books, and more than 100 scientific papers.

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

Solid source, with rich notes and bibliography, on gender expression throughout the world: not merely in the West, or Asian, but the Mohave, India, Papua New Guinea, etc. I return to this source from time to time.

[Daphne Shaed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book. The layout is very intuitive and easy to read. The chapters are sorted nicely and the information is easily gleamed. This is a book I continue to come back to and reference in my research.

[Lance Grabmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Various essays on the idea of a third gender or third sex, roughly split into sections on History and Anthropology. Maybe because of my own reading on the subject, or maybe because the book is more than 20 years old now, I did not gain much new insight from most of the Historical section until the final essay. On the other hand, a lot of the anthropological work was fascinating. A bit of this was academic to the point of caricature. Also, given the wider focus on nonbinary folks in recent years, much of this might seem weirdly off-kilter since most of the historical works focus on homosexuality posited as third gender/sex, which is apropos of historical writing and understanding on the subject but not exactly what I was expecting from the book.

[Madi]

Logging this because I read what I needed of it for a final and want to reference later when looking for queer texts, but don’t feel it’s fair to rate it considering I didn’t pour over each chapter. Felt a bit outdated, but at least not ENTIRELY focused in Western perspectives of queer theory (from what I read)

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book on a subject I'm highly interested in.

Though the content is highly academic in nature and some of the historical chapters can be arduously long, the main bulk of the book is fascinating.

My favourite chapters were the ones on the Indian Hijra and the Native American Berdache, and the brave individuals who often face scorn and derision for pursuing a true and authentic life.

I think if you're open to LGBTQ issues and accept that there is a spectrum of gender in the same way that there is a spectrum of sexuality, then this book would be of great interest to you.

[J. E. Valkyrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely interesting read , especially for anthropology, sexology and psychology students. While the language is dated, astute students will be able to disregard this in favour of the valuable content within.

[Irina · Rating 3 out of 5]

*René Grémaux: Woman Becomes Man in the Balkans (5)