Beyond Sex and Gender (PDF)

`Beyond Sex and Gender goes beyond most texts not simply in the range of authors discussed, but also in the way in which it makes a radical departure from the terminology of "sex" and "gender". This is a complex and challenging work, which goes beyond issues of gender to considerations of deeper mysteries of language, embodiment and social understanding. Wendy Cealey Harrison's treatment of an astonishingly varied range of authors is critical, in the best sense, and generous. The book is dedicated to its co-author, John Hood-Williams who was killed in a road accident in 1999; it is a worthy memorial' - David H J Morgan, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Manchester

The central argument of this book is that the sex/gender distinction is invalid and must be transcended. To this end, the work of Foucault, Connell, Goffman, Garfinkel, Butler, Freud, Derrida, Saussure, Lacquer and Kessler and McKenna is woven into a rich and compelling set of arguments. The sex/gender distinction is attacked for producing a series of irresolvable traps. However much one tries to think one's way out of the dichotomy, one ends up being suckered back into its imponderables and blind alleys. The book attempts to comprehensively reorientate the field and redefine the terrain.