The End of Gender: A Psychological Autopsy - Hardcover

Thurer, Shari L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415927706 ISBN 13: 9780415927703

Publisher: Routledge, 2005

Synopsis

Gender isn't what it used to be. Categories are collapsing. What was deviant for baby boomers has become mainstream for their offspring: like the coed who realizes she's bisexual but, after a period of adjustment, shrugs her shoulders and gets on with her otherwise mundane life. Gender as we once understood it is over, and gender-bending is the new beat. Men sport ponytails and earrings and teach nursery school; women flaunt tatoos and biceps and smoke cigars.In The End of Gender, Shari L. Thurer argues that we are in the midst of a new sexual revolution. It is one where gender categories are blurring not just at the "fringes" of society, but in mainstream lifestyle, media, fashion, and art. So, why is this cultural phenomenon happening now? And what does it mean? In lively, non-technical language, and with sometimes surprising case studies from her 25 years as a psychologist, Thurer answers these questions, bridging complex postmodern theory with cutting edge psychoanalysis.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"Stunning and unique, this book will enlighten us all, the general reader as well as the clinician and academic. Dr. Thurer accomplishes the amazing feat of bringing together the work of two groups who need each other but who don’t usually talk to each other. She brings us her clinician’s understanding of sexual and gender issues along with an accessible account of the kind of work that should go on in many fields but rarely does." –Jean Baker Miller, author of Toward a New Psychology of Women

"How does one go about the impossible task of defining a subject that willfully resists classification? One might start by reading The End of Gender. Shari L. Thurer’s wit, playfulness, accessible scholarship, and clinical sensitivity make reading this book a pleasure. In fact, if I were to teach a basic seminar on postmodern gender studies and queer theory, The End of Gender would certainly make my reading list." –Jack Drescher, author of Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man

"Shari L. Thurer has written an explosive and well-researched book which forces us to question our ritualized assumptions and sex and gender. Often inducing discomfort as she challenges our prejudices, Thurer has made a provocative—indeed volcanic—contribution to debates on modern psychology." –Estela V. Welldon, author of Mother, Madonna, Whore

Review

"This erudite review of multiple enactments of gender in the wake of 'pomo,' or postmodern, theory is an impressive tour de force...A wide-ranging, intelligent analysis that can serve as an introduction to the issues while also making its own, unique contribution." -- ForeWord, November/December 2005

"This book is Thurer’s articulate and persuasive argument against the validity of unyielding sex and gender categories ... The eyes of the clinician, academic and general reader will be opened on how to deconstruct the concepts of gender, sexual orientation, and sexuality through psychoanalytic, postmodern, and queer theories... The clever use of pop culture and engaging case presentations instantly pulls the reader in." -- Gregory M. Jones, Division 44 Newsletter, Spring 2007

"As I read the book, I found myself challenged, provoked and grateful... Her combination of irony, humor, empathy, conversational language, and accessible writing is irresistible, making this brilliant feat of scholarship a pleasure to read." Sharon K. Farber Division 39 Newsletter, Winter 2007

"This is a remarkable book.  My head was spinning from the vast array of topics covered...this book is smart, witty, extremely far-ranging, and enormously complex.  I am glad I read it." -- Ellen Cole, American Journal of Psychology, Fall 2007

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0415927706
• ISBN 13: 9780415927703
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 244