WGST 1808 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Alice Dreger, Intersexion, Dualism

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Women's and Gender Studies
• Course: WGST 1808
• Professor: Katherine Bausch

Document Summary

Followed the stories of transgendered teenagers and how they transitioned. Oudshoorn reminds us that understanding of sex have changed over time so not an. Histories show that past societies didn"t think male and female were different. From the 18th century on, people tried to locate essence of femininity - put in singular body parts. Essentialism - belief that characteristics are innate, unchanging and universal. Biological determinism - belief that characteristics are innate, unchaining and universal. Nelly oudshoorn the naturalistic reality of the body such does not exist: it is created by scientists as the object of scienti c investigation . Pre-18th century, science emphasizes connections and similarities. Doesn"t mean equality - patriarchy means there is no such thing as women expect as extension of men. 1750"s medical science the essence of sex is not con ned to a single organ but extends into every part . Science"s search for the essence of femininity: skeletons, cellular, hormones.