Lesbian & Bisexual Identities [Paperback]

Kristin Esterberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 1997

This book examines the stories of lesbian and bisexual women in a Northeast community who share who they are, how they have come to see themselves as lesbian or bisexual, and what those identities mean to them. Drawing on social constructionist approaches to identity, Kristin G. Esterberg argues that identities are multiple and contingent. Created within the context of specific communities and within specific relationships, lesbian and bisexual identities are ways of sorting through experiences of desires and attractions, relationships, and politics. Their meanings change over time as women grow older and have more varied experiences, as the communities and sociopolitical worlds in which they live change, and as their life circumstances alter. In interviews conducted over a four-year time period, women describe the lesbian community they live in; how they see its structure, its social groups, its informal rules and norms for behavior; and their places inside - or on the margins of - the community. "Lesbian and Bisexual Identities" reveals how women fall in and out of love, how they 'perform' lesbian or bisexual identity through clothing, hairstyle, body language, and talk, and many other aspects typically not considered. The women present a variety of accounts. Some consider themselves 'lesbian from birth' and have constructed their lives accordingly, while others have experienced significant shifts in their identities, depending on the influences of feminism, progressive politics, the visibility of the lesbian community, and other factors. Esterberg offers vivid accounts that defy the stereotypes so commonly offered. "Lesbian and Bisexual Identities" not only presents women's stories in their own words, it moves beyond storytelling to understand how these accounts resonate with social science theories of identity and community. Author note: Kristin G. Esterberg is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Director of Women's Studies at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. She is the author of numerous articles on the social construction of gay and lesbian identities.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These two books are so similar as to be interchangeable; the only significant difference is that one study was done on the West Coast and the other on the East. Stein (sociology, Univ. of Oregon) interviewed 30 women in the San Francisco area, while Esterberg (sociology and director of women's studies, Univ. of Missouri, Kansas City) interviewed 43 women in an unidentified Northeast community. Focusing on the integration of feminism, antiracism, and social justice with lesbian lives, both discussions are fascinating, and their portrayal of lesbian identity as changeable and fluid is valuable. Although the word bisexual does not appear in Stein's title, her focus on bisexual women is easily as strong as Esterberg's. And Stein's discussion of separatists may be patronizing when she suggests that "separatism would give the lifelong lesbian some insurance that women she became involved with would not leave her for men." Despite these minor flaws, these are both important contributions. Recommended for academic libraries, especially those supporting lesbian, gay, and bisexual studies.?Pauline Klein, DeKalb Cty. P.L., Decatur, Ga.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

A revealing examination of how lesbian and bisexual women come to see themselves and what those identities mean to them

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; 1 edition (February 19, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566395100
• ISBN-13: 978-1566395106
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #839,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs > Lesbian
  • #94 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Nonfiction > Bisexuality

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intelligent well written a must read for all, August 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lesbian & Bisexual Identities (Paperback)

This a must read for all,homosexual and heterosexuals. It's a first hand account that dispels myths that plague some of the population. It does not talk down to the reader, but allows the reader better insight to the lifestyle.