Gender Through the Prism of Difference

"The approach of Gender Through the Prism of Difference is great and distinguishes [it] from all other books on the market. I like that it's not about women, but about gender; that it examines gender by focusing on how a range of social inequalities and identities impact gender; and that it has a balance of readings that focus on the U.S., those that focus on transnational issues [such as migration] and those that focus on non-U.S. contexts. It's very appropriate for the upper-level undergraduate course that I use it for students each semester have commented about how much they like the book."---Janice McCabe, Florida State University

"This book is very thorough and engaging. In my course, I try to emphasize both an intersectional approach to gender and issues of masculinity....Both of these aspects are emphasized in this text. Additionally, I try to find readings that I think are engaging while also demonstrating how sociologists research gender. This text offers many readings that are based on actual research and cover interesting topics."---Elena Windsong, University of New Mexico

Gender Through the Prism of Difference adopts a global, transnational perspective on how race, class, and sexual diversity are central to the study of sex and gender. In contrast with other books in this area---which tend to focus on U.S. or European viewpoints---this wide-ranging anthology features many articles based on research done elsewhere throughout the world.

Now in its fourth edition, the book opens with a revised and updated Introduction that sets the stage for understanding gender as a socially constructed experience. Featuring twenty-three new readings, this edition covers such timely subjects as the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, female Palestinian suicide bombers, transgendered people, intersex issues, fatherhood and masculinity, sex and immigrant communities, ageism and feminism, Sex and the City, and much more. It also addresses a number of other compelling topics, including the effects of globalization on notions of masculinity, the difficulties faced by Muslim women living in post-9/11 America, and perceptions of "blackness" worldwide.

Guiding students through the complex realities of today's gender relationships, Gender Through the Prism of Difference, Fourth Edition, is ideal for undergraduate or graduate courses in the sociology of gender; women's studies; gender roles; the sociology of women; women in society; race, class, and gender; feminist theory; and social inequality.

Maxine Baca Zinn is Professor of Sociology at Michigan State University.
Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Sociology at the University of Southern California.
Michael A. Messner is Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Southern California.