Why human biology is far more expansive than the simple categories of female and male
Being human entails an astonishingly complex interplay of biology and culture, and while there are important differences between women and men, there is a lot more variation and overlap than we may realize. Sex Is a Spectrum offers a bold new paradigm for understanding the biology of sex, drawing on the latest science to explain why the binary view of the sexes is fundamentally flawed—and why having XX or XY chromosomes isn’t as conclusive as some would have us believe.
In this lively and provocative book, leading biological anthropologist Agustín Fuentes begins by tracing the origin and evolution of sex, describing the many ways in the animal kingdom of being female, male, or both. Turning to humans, he presents compelling evidence from the fossil and archaeological record that attests to the diversity of our ancestors’ sexual bonds, gender roles, and family and community structures, and shows how the same holds true in the lived experiences of people today. Fuentes tackles hot-button debates around sports and medicine, explaining why we can acknowledge that females and males are not the same while also embracing a biocultural reality where none of us fits neatly into only one of two categories.
Bringing clarity and reason to a contentious issue, Sex Is a Spectrum shares a scientist’s perspective on why a binary view of sex and gender is not only misguided but harmful, and why there are multitudes of ways of being human.
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eBook - ePub
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Information
Publisher
Princeton University PressYear
2025Print ISBN
9780691253251
9780691249414
eBook ISBN
9780691249421
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Sex Biology Is Interesting
- 1. The Evolution of Sex
- 2. Animal Sex Biology: Mixing It Up
- 3. Humans Are Messy
- 4. Humans Then
- 5. Humans Now
- 6. No Biological Battle of the Sexes
- 7. Why the Binary View Is a Problem
- Notes
- Index
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Yes, you can access Sex Is a Spectrum by Agustín Fuentes in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Human Sexuality in Psychology. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.