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

~ Gilbert Herdt (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the 1990s, questions of sex roles and individual identity have taken a central position in intellectual debates. These eleven essays in history and anthropology offer a novel perspective on these debates by questioning the place of sexual dimorphism in culture and history. They propose a new role for the study of alternative sex and gender systems in cultural science, as a means of critiquing thinking that privileges standard male/female gender distinctions and rejects the natural basis of other forms of sexuality. The essays: Introduction Gilbert Herdt. Living in the Shadows: Eunuchs and Gender in Byzantium Kathryn Ringrose. London's Sapphists: From Three Sexes to Four Genders in the Making of Modern Culture Randolph Trumbach. Sodomy and the Pursuit of a Third Sex in the Early Modern Period Theo van der Meer. A Female Soul in a Male Body Gert Hekma. Woman Becomes Man in the Balkans Rene Gremaux. Polynesian Gender Liminality Through Time and Space Niko Besnier. How to Become a Berdache: Toward a Unified Analysis of Gender Diversity Will Roscoe. Hijras: An Alternative Sex and Gender Role in India Serena Nanda. Mistaken Sex: Culture, Biology and the Third Sex in New Guinea Gilbert Herdt. Transcending and Transgendering: Male-to-Female Transsexuals, Dichotomy and Diversity Anne Bolin.

Distributed for Zone Books

About the Author

Gilbert Herdt is Professor of Human Development at the University of Chicago. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of a dozen books, including Ritualized Homosexuality in Melanesia, Gay and Lesbian Youth,and Intimate Communications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 614 pages
• Publisher: Zone Books (June 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942299825
• ISBN-13: 978-0942299823
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #290,867 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, July 27, 2003

By A Customer

Gil Herdt is one person who can certainly be trusted to compile a stellar collection of articles about third sexes/genders in a historical and cross-cultural context. It includes a chapter about the Hijras of India by Serena Nanda, along with many photographs. This book rounds out any homosexuality study you may be doing. It is very well done. I enjoyed reading the articles that I did.

5 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What does third sex really mean ?, April 13, 2000

By	SEBASTIANVS "libra64" (TOKYO Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Third Sex, Third Gender: Beyond Sexual Dimorphism in Culture and History (Hardcover)

It is very interesting to read this kind of book, especially about eunuchs in Byzantion. However I think it is easier to compile such an omnibus-styled collective volume. I prefer monographic coherent book written by one author , e.g. John Boswell's " Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality " et "Same-Sex Union " , Eva Cantarella's "La bisessualita nel mondo antico" , Bernard Sergent's "L'homosexualite dans la mythologie grecque" or so. This book contains various "Third Sex" like stereotyped berdaches in America, hijuras in India, transvestists in Europe etc.---- Each article is interesting of course. Although in Japan our ancestors never introduced eunuch-system from China , we have many books exclusively concentrated on eunuchus.So I'd like to read special works focused on Greco-Roman & Byzantine eunuchs. If somebody knows these kinds of subject series,please kindly tell me the titles.