When Sex Became Gender is a study of post-World War II feminist theory from the viewpoint of intellectual history. The key theme is that ideas about the social construction of gender have its origins in the feminist theorists of the postwar period, and that these early ideas about gender became a key foundational paradigm for both second and third wave feminist thought. These conceptual foundations were created by a cohort of extraordinarily imaginative and bold academic women. While discussing the famous feminist scholars—Simone de Beauvoir, Margaret Mead—the book also hinges on the work of scholars who are lesser known to American audiences—Mirra Komarovsky, Viola Klein, and Ruth Herschberger, The postwar years have been an overlooked period in the development of feminist theory and philosophy and Tarrant makes a compelling case for this era being the turning point in the study of gender.
Shira Tarrant is an expert in gender politics, feminism, pop culture, and masculinity. She is author of Men and Feminism (Seal Press), When Sex Became Gender (Routledge), and editor of the provocative anthology Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex and Power (Routledge). She is currently co-editing Fashion Talks: Undressing the Power of Style.
Shira Tarrant's work has appeared in Bitch, off our backs, Women's Studies Quarterly, Huffington Post, Genre magazine, The Women's Movement Today: An Encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism, and Fix Me Up: Essays on Television Dating and Makeover Shows (forthcoming).
Shira is the column editor for "The Man Files" at the popular blog Girl With Pen. She is a frequent invited speaker at college campuses and other public venues, and is quoted widely in print, television, radio and online media.
Shira Tarrant has a PhD in political science from UCLA and fond memories of lounging on the grass in the campus sculpture garden.
