SOC265H1 Chapter Notes -Masculinity, Gonad, John Money
Document Summary
Soc265 reading 1: anne fausto-sterling: how to build a man. Aim to consider truths that biologists extract from bodies, human and other wise. Male and female arise from single structure. Mooney 10 road signs to being male or female: chromosomal sex. Single embryonic gland can give rise to an ovary or a testis sex, internal morphologic sex, external morphologic sex, brain sex, sex of assignment and rearing, pubertal hormonal sex. Road signs problematic because scientists neglect to observe how their own social understanding is integrated within these criteria. Two themes emerge: masculinity is an active presence that forces itself onto a feminine foundation. Example: presence of certain hormones: male is in constant danger. At any time, could revert back to female form(failure to activate sdy and the gonad becomes an ovary) Hunting for special proteins the male embryo makes in order to protect itself from feminizing.
