Gendered Intersections

An Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies, 2nd Edition

Edited by C. Lesley Biggs, Pamela Downe, Susan Gingell

 Following the structure of the successful first edition of Gendered Intersections, this second edition examines the intersections across and between gender, race, culture, class, ability, sexuality, age and geographical location from the diverse perspectives of academics, artists and activists. Using a variety of mediums — academic research, poetry, statistics, visual essays, fiction, emails and music — this collection offers a unique exploration of gender through issues such as Aboriginal self-governance, poverty, work, spirituality, globalization and community activism. This new edition brings a greater focus on politics, and gender and the law. It also includes access to a Gendered Intersections website, which contains several performances by poets and a Gendered Intersections Quiz, which highlights the historical and contemporary contributions of women and non-hegemonic men on Canadian Society.

Praise for the first edition

“Gendered Intersections’ diverse selections provide an excellent and encompassing overview in the field of Women’s and Gender Studies in Canada today. The thought-provoking readings encourage students to use a gendered perspective to engage in a critical analysis of current issues and topics. I find this an excellent text to get students thinking about the gendered world in which live.”

— Wendee Kubik, Women’s Studies, University of Regina

“The first edition of Gendered Intersections introduces Canadian readers to a global economy, and circuits of migration and culture through diverse feminist perspectives. The editors skillfully convey how human experiences that foreground sexuality, colonialism, race, disability and age are legitimate starting points for critical understandings of gender, an approach that is so necessary in undergraduate and college classrooms today. Both I and my students appreciate the accessible and critical manner in which the editors tackle everyday experiences of gender. 

— Jennifer Johnson, Women’s Studies, Laurentian University

“This book is based in … premises that guide teaching introductory gender and women’s studies courses and I expect it to be a very useful textbook. I … am confident that it sufficiently addresses directions, debates and discussions in gender and women’s studies … in particular … transnational perspectives, colonialism and indigenous issues and debates about gender and sexuality that are crucial … in classrooms across Canadian universities.”  — Katherine Side, Women’s Studies, Memorial University

Contents

Section 1 Setting the Stage: What Does It Mean to Be a Woman and a Man? • Section 2 Forging Femininities and Masculinities Through Media and Material Cultures • Section 3 Sexualizing Women and Men • Section 4 Body and Soul • Section 5 Community, Families and Parenting • Section 6 Gendered Economies and Waged Workers • Section 7 The Law, Governance, Politics and Public Policy • Section 8 Changing the World: Activism for Equity • References 

About the Authors

C. Lesley Biggs >is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Saskatchewan. She co-taught with Susan Gingell the first women’s and gender course at the University. Her main areas of interest lie in the history and sociology of the professions with a particular focus on complementary and alternative healers, and the sociology of the body. Lesley was a recipient of the Master Teacher Award in 2009.

Pamela Downe is  Department Head and Associate Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan.  As a medical anthropologist, her research focuses on the cultural dynamics surrounding HIV/AIDS, the medicalization of violence, maternal and family health, and addiction.

Susan Gingell is  Professor of English at the University of Saskatchewan and co-taught with Lesley Biggs their University’s first Women’s and Gender Studies courses. She currently researches the writing of the oral, and, in addition to publishing many articles, has edited a special number (83) of Essays on Canadian Writing, Textualizing Orature and Orality, and, with Wendy Roy, Listening Up, Writing Down, and Looking Beyond: Interfaces of the Oral, Written, and Visual (forthcoming).

Excerpt

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