Sexing the body gender politics and the construction of sexuality

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Dueling Dualisms -- 2. "That Sexe Which Prevaileth" -- 3. Of Gender and Genitals: The Use and Abuse of the Modern Intersexual -- 4. Should There Be Only Two Sexes? -- 5. Sexing the Brain: How Biologists Make a Difference -- 6. Sex Glands, Hormones, and Gender Chemistry -- 7. Do Sex Hormones Really Exist? (Gender Becomes Chemical) -- 8. The Rodent's Tale -- 9. Gender Systems: Toward a Theory of Human Sexuality.

"Is it a boy or a girl? Our automatic first question about a new baby reveals how profoundly we believe that sex difference is natural and inborn, and how fundamental sex is to our conception of human identity. But, in fact, biologist and cultural critic Anne Fausto-Sterling shows in her new book that the answer to this seemingly basic question is more complex than we realize.

In her probing critique of scientific, medical and popular understanding of sex, Fausto-Sterling uses an examination of research, medical practice and astonishing real-life cases to shake the very foundations of our ideas about sexual difference.".

"Taking her cue from the burgeoning intersexual movement, Fausto-Sterling argues for an end to authoritarian medical interventions in intersex cases. Ultimately, Fausto-Sterling urges us to re-imagine more than just our labels for the parts and processes of the human body."--BOOK JACKET.