Men as Women, Women as Men - Changing Gender in Native American Cultures (Paperback, 1st ed)

"This is a major and significant contribution to the studies of gender diversity, sexuality, and cultural constructions of gender and sex roles. In addition...it is the only source that empirically and theoretically focuses on female sex and gender options in Native North America." -- Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Professor of Women Studies and Anthropology, University of Washington

As contemporary Native and non-Native Americans explore various forms of "gender bending" and gay and lesbian identities, interest has grown in "berdaches," the womanly men and manly women who existed in many Native American tribal cultures. Yet attempts to find current role models in these historical figures sometimes distort and oversimplify the historical realities.

This book provides an objective, comprehensive study of Native American women-men and men-women across many tribal cultures and an extended time span. Sabine Lang explores such topics as their religious and secular roles; the relation of the roles of women-men and men-women to the roles of women and men in their respective societies; the ways in which gender-role change was carried out, legitimized, and explained in Native American cultures; the widely differing attitudes toward women-men and men-women in tribal cultures; and the role of these figures in Native mythology. Lang's findings challenge the apparent gender equality of the "berdache" institution, as well as the supposed universality of concepts such as homosexuality.

General

Imprint:	University Of Texas Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	July 1998
First published:	1998
Authors:	Sabine Lang
Translators:	John L. Vantine
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 25mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	416
Edition:	1st ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-292-74701-2
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > General
LSN:	0-292-74701-2
Barcode:	9780292747012

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!