Gender Diversity: Crosscultural Variations

by Serena Nanda

How can we gain new understandings about sex, gender, and sexuality? What are the relationships between culture and gender diversity? How has the diffusion of Euro-American culture affected the sex/gender ideologies of non-European cultures? This eye-opening account of the differences in how sex/gender diversity is experienced in seven cultures raises our consciousness and challenges our intellectual understandings and attitudes about what we consider natural, normal, and morally right. Nanda's examples, which reveal the complexity of social responses toward sex/gender diversity, are ethnographically well documented and represent various geographical areas and sex/gender ideologies. In classic anthropological fashion, Nanda's text enables us to cross the barriers of cultural difference to a recognition of a greater shared humanity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gender, Anthropology, Gender Studies, Queer, Ethnography, Read For School

127 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Basmaish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This offers an insight into some of the history and culture of the different gender identities focusing predominately on mtf. It shows how things used to be pre-colonization in countries such as Indonesia, India, Polynesia, Bangladesh etc.. versus after, and the impact of the multiple religions that exist in each place. There’s also the discussion of language and words and the influence of Western concepts and terminology and it’s impact.

Understanding the multitude of gender identities is still confusing to me and this only adds to the confusion; however it’s fascinating and the book itself is easy to read.

[Zora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about individuals whose gender and sexuality varies from the heteronormative gender categories in most Western societies. This text was used as a fundamental piece in understanding different expressions of gender and sexuality cross culturally, through an anthropology course focused on the distinction between gender, sexuality, and socially constructed roles attributed to gender. I liked how the text focused on the experiences of such gender and sexually variant individuals from cultures/societies in Philippines, Brazil, India, Native America, and many others. Even though heteronormative relationships in which men reign supreme over women the relationships of those not within such relationships mimics the structure of such male/female relationships, in some ways which are more destructive than others. One major issue I had about this text was that it was focused on the experiences of men, whether transgender or homosexual, which didn't leave much room for the experience of women as transgender or homosexual and that is not alright, to explore a skewed/ biased experiences of gender, sexuality, and social roles. One major thing that I learned from this text was that an individual's gender, sexuality, and social roles do not have to be the same, however there is a lot of overlap, but it was important for me to learn this distinctions in an ever changing world in respect to non heteronormative identities whether through expressions of gender or sexuality. This text would be a great addition for any women's studies or anthropology course which investigates the differences in gender, sexuality, and social roles. Or for individual exploration into these social issues.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

It gets a bit repetitive after a while, but it was overall quite interesting, and I especially liked the pictures and the film suggestions at the end (two of which I've seen, which made me feel special).

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at gender and sexuality in different cultures. Easy to read and doesn't bore you with lots of technical jargon or research studies.

[Ryan Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gender Diversity by Serena Nanda does a good job introducing anthropological terms and concepts and applying them to how gender varies in cultures around the world. I read the 2nd edition (published in 2014) and found it to be a good and brief tour of gender variation throughout many cultures and to be accesible written. However, there is quite a bit of outdated terminology used throughout the book and it would benefit from updated sources and current work in gender by anthropologists and other scholars.

[Alex Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

good primer

Looking to get more education about gender diversity. Thought this had good material. Definitely learned a lot of new things. My only gripe is the word choices they seemed to use to define gender variant people as the author seemed to go with terms those groups may not approve of at times. However I can also acknowledge that there may not be an alternative in certain cases and it may help with reader clarity. Overall I thought it was informative.

[maddiemyrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good and insightful reminder of how much imperil Britain culture has become the mass “normal” in the west.. when other culturals have existed by their side all along. If you feel confused or uncomfortable about the topics of queerness, sex, or gender, this is a good short book. I’m giving it 3 stars because it really only gave the male/masculine perspective. I would have loved a more diversified perspective from the different cultures.

[Tea S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

any positive aspects of the book are overshadowed by the fearmongering bullshit about sex changes near the end. what if you turned "haha don't get bottom surgery you're so sexy" into a book.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few outdated terms, but otherwise solidly informative.

[Elfdart · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a very readable book about the idea of gender and how it’s not as black and white as some would love to make it. it basically take a look at different cultures and documents how they view gender. when we think gender, in the society we live in (that i am sometimes not that happy about being a part of) we think of only two possibilities, male and female. homosexuals are still men or women if they like someone of the same gender, they’re just weird (dripping with sarcasm). however, what we fail to realize (when i say we i mean main stream society, the mob, the collective) its that the concept of gender is a mental construction. what we see as fact and set in stone, is about as whimsically held together as a kite made out of feathers, it can fall apart at any time. as nature doesn’t provide only two types of human beings, society must come to see that more than two types of human beings exist. some cultures take this better than others and that is the point of this book. in some cultures there are three or four genders, in some cultures other manifestations of sexual preference are revered.
this book looks at various cultures around the world and how they deal with the issue of gender. it’s a short read, but a fun one.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book to give to someone who thinks there are only two genders. Very interesting.

[Allison6876 · Rating 3 out of 5]

used for gender roles paper for AMIN 3301

[Mark Oblivion]

Appropriately academically dry.