Changing Sex And Bending Gender

Anthropologists and historians have shown us that "male" and "female" are variously defined historically and cross-culturally. The contributions to this volume focus on the voluntary or involuntary, temporary or permanent transformation of gender identity. Overall, this volume provides powerful and compelling illustrations of how, across a wide range of cultures, processes of gender transformation are shaped within, and ultimately constrained by, social and political context. From medical responses to biological ambiguity, the historical role of the eunuch in Byzantium, the social transformation of gender where "men become women" in the Southern Philippines and in Northern Albania to North American 'drag' shows, this volume offers revealing insights into the ambiguities and limitations of gender transformation.