Anthro 291: Queer Perspectives in Anthropology

Course Description

This course is the second half of a two-course sequence on gender and sexuality in anthropology. We will explore alternative genders and sexualities (so called "third genders" and non-heterosexual sexualities) in both Western and non-Western contexts.

The first half of the sequence (which is not a prerequisite, the courses can be taken in any order) is Anthro 289: Feminist Perspectives in Anthropology.

Prerequisites and Requirements

Anthropology 11: Cultural Anthropology is a prerequisite. This course contributes towards majors in the Anthropology Department and Women and Gender Studies Program.

Textbooks and Course Readings

The required textbooks will be available at the Ruminator Bookstore. Course readings in the forms of articles will be distributed in class and also available through the eReserve system.

• Working bibliography:
• Early ethnographies:
  • Newton, Esther (1972). Mother camp: female impersonators in America.Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
  • Herdt, Gilbert (1986). The Sambia.Fort Worth, Texas, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
• Recent ethnographies:
  • Weston, Kath (1991). Families we choose: Lesbians, gays, kinship.New York, Columbia University Press.
  • Halberstam, Judith (1998). Female masculinity.Durham, NC ; London, Duke University Press.
  • Kulick, Don (1998). Travesti: sex, gender, and culture among Brazilian transgendered prostitutes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Lewin, Ellen and William Leap (1996). Out in the field : reflections of lesbian and gay anthropolgists.Urbana, University of Illinois Press.
  • Sinnot, Megan J. (2004). Toms and dees: transgender identity and female same-sex relationships in Thailand. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
• Articles:
• Rubin, Gayle (1975). The traffic in women: notes on the "political economy" of sex. Toward an anthropology of women. R. Reiter. New York, Monthly Review Press. 157-210.
• Davis, D. L. and R. G. Whitten (1987). "The cross-cultural study of human sexuality." Annual Review of Anthropology 16: 69-98.
• Weston, Kath (1993). "Lesbian/gay studies in the house of anthropology." Annual Review of Anthropology (22): 339-67.
• Bustos-Aguilar, Pedro (1995). "Mister don't touch the banana: notes on the popularity of the ethnosexed body south of the border." Critique of Anthropology (15): 149-170.
• ... TBA ...

Also under consideration...

Useful Links

• Anthropology in the News (Texas A&M)
• Feminist Theory Website
• Overview of Feminist Anthropology
• Feminist Anthropology Syllabi
• Feminist Anthropology Hotlist

Library Resources

• Course Reserve List (CLICnet)
• How to cite references:
  • Anthropology Style Guide
  • Citing Electronic Resources