The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities

“I have found Spade and Valentine’s Kaleidoscope of Gender to be the most effective reader that I have used in my undergraduate Sociology of Gender class, and I was delighted to see what promises to be an even better second edition that recently arrived.”

-Linda Grant, University of Georgia

“In a substantial theoretical introduction, Spade and Valentine move their discussion forward by introducing their kaleidoscope metaphor which is comprised of the “prisms” of culture…that intersect to produce patterns of difference and systems of privilege. Because it captures the fluidity and uniqueness of the intricate patterns, the kaleidoscope is a valuable analytical tool. Though it enters a terrain already littered with terminology, this “prismatic” understanding of gender has great potential for transforming current conceptualizations.”

-Jennifer Keys, North Central College

Examining the elusive, evolving construct of gender in a unique text/ reader format

An accessible, timely, and stimulating introduction to the sociology of gender, The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive analysis of key ideas, theories, and applications in this field as viewed through the metaphor of a kaleidoscope. This collection of creative articles by top scholars explains how the complex, evolving pattern of gender is constructed interpersonally, institutionally, and culturally and challenges students to question how gender shapes their daily lives. Like the prior edition, the Second Edition maintains a focus on contemporary contributions to the field while incorporating classical and theoretical arguments to provide a broad framework. Integrating a cross-cultural focus and intersectional inquiry, this unique text/reader vividly illustrates that gender is a malleable continuum of prisms, patterns, and possibilities.

New to the Second Edition

· 27 new readings, including interdisciplinary research articles as well as articles from the popular media, complement the 23 readings retained from the prior edition
· Updated extensive introductions to each chapter provide a helpful framework for the readings to follow and include the most recent statistics, new concepts, and references
· Increased emphasis on readings about social movements for equality (Chapter 10), a sharper focus on work (7), and new readings on domestic violence such as an article on rape on college campuses (8)
· An even greater emphasis on intersectional analysis and a deeper understanding of masculinities

Instructor’s Resources on CD-ROM: Available to qualified instructors (contact info@sagepub.com), the CD includes ideas for class exercises, video suggestions, assignments, and more.

Intended Audience
This text/ reader is ideal for undergraduate courses such as the Sociology of Sex and Gender, Gender and Sexuality, Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality; and related courses in departments of sociology, women’s studies, and gender studies.

Joan Z. Spade is professor of sociology at The College at Brockport, State University of New York, in Brockport, New York. She received her MA from the University of Rochester and her PhD from the University of Buffalo. She has been teaching and writing in the field for more than 30 years, including a semester teaching in Budapest, Hungary, as a Fulbright Scholar, and is coeditor of Implementing Educational Reform: Sociological Perspectives on Educational Policy and coauthor of articles in sociol­ogy of education on stratification and grouping practices in education. She also publishes in other areas, including gender and family, and is coeditor with Catherine G. Valentine of The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities. Currently she is researching academic governance in higher educa­tion. She is a member of the ASA, including the ASA Section on Sociology of Education, the Eastern Sociological Society, and Sociologists for Women in Society.