Gender in History

Praise for the first edition:

“Wiesner-Hanks ... accomplishes a near-impossible feat - a review of what is known about the construction of gender and the character of women’s lives in all known cultures over the course of human history …. Theoretically sophisticated and doing justice to the historical and cross-cultural record, yet assimilable by students.”
Choice

“Gender in History brilliantly explores the influence of gender constructs in political, social, economic, and cultural affairs. The remarkable cultural, geographical, and chronological range of Wiesner-Hanks’ research is matched only by the sophistication, nuance, and clarity of her analysis. This book offers a rare and valuable global perspective on gender roles in human history.”
Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawaii

Over the past two decades, considerations of gender have revolutionized the study of history. Yet most books on the subject remain narrowly focused on a specific time period or particular region of the world. Gender in History: Global Perspectives, Second Edition, continues to redress this inequity by providing a concise overview of the construction of gender in many world cultures over a period stretching from the Paleolithic era to modern times.

Thoroughly updated to reflect current developments in the field, the new edition features entirely new sections which address primates, slavery, colonialism, masculinity, transgender issues, and other relevant topics. As in the well-received first edition, material is presented thematically to reveal the connections between gender and structures such as the family, economy, law, religion, sexuality, and the state. Wiesner-Hanks also investigates precisely what it meant to be a man or woman throughout history; how these roles were shaped by various institutions; and how they in turn were influenced by gender. The author presents material within each chapter chronologically to highlight the ways in which gender structures have varied over time.

The new edition of Gender in History: Global Perspectives offers rich insights into all that is currently known about gender roles throughout world history.

A companion website is available at www.wiley.com/go/wiesnerhanks