{"id":125,"date":"2024-03-26T11:10:19","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T11:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/culturaltheory\/?post_type=content&p=125"},"modified":"2024-04-03T08:25:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T08:25:07","slug":"chapter-8-gender-and-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/staging.routledgelearning.com\/culturaltheory\/chapter-resources\/chapter-8-gender-and-sexuality\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 8 – Gender and sexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n\tHome<\/a>\n<\/span>\/<\/span>\n\tChapter Resources<\/a>\n<\/span>\/<\/span>\n\tChapter 8 \u2013 Gender and sexuality\n<\/span><\/div>\n\n

Chapter 8 – Gender and sexuality<\/h1>\n\n\n

\u2018One of the most striking changes in the humanities in the 1980s has been the rise of gender as a category of analysis\u2019 (Showalter, 1990: 1). This is the opening sentence in Elaine Showalter’s introduction to a book on gender and literary studies. There can be no doubt that without the emergence of feminism (second wave) in the early 1970s this sentence could not have been written. It is feminism that has placed gender on the academic agenda. However, the nature of the agenda has provoked a vigorous debate within feminism itself \u2013 so much so that it is really no longer possible, if it ever was, to talk of feminism as a monolithic body of research, writing and activity; one should really speak of feminisms (including post-feminism).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Before you read <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Warm-up<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Watch the opening theme of Dallas<\/em>, an ultra-popular American TV show lasting for eleven seasons from 1978-1991 [link<\/a>]. How do you think it may engage in gender and sexuality issues; how do you think it may reflect on change or stagnation of gender roles?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Preliminary questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The previous chapters establish that culture is political \u2013 connected to the economy, social class and issues related to production and consumption. Culture has also been discussed so far in relation to signs systems, language, discourse and the visual. In this chapter, gender and sexuality enter the frame. Beginning with the connections between gender, culture, politics and feminism, Chapter 8 of Cultural Theory and Popular Culture<\/em> discusses film (see also Chapter 5 of this website), soap operas, reading and adverts. We consider how post-feminist theory informs an understanding of some of these.  Masculinities and queer theory are also addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some issues that are worth thinking about as you read these discussions and related Reader<\/em> extracts are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • To what extent does sexuality or gender relate to the production and consumption of cultural texts?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Is it possible to ignore feminist responses to cultural theory and popular culture?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Is feminism just for women?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Is queer sexuality really just about lesbian and gay texts and practices?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Do we read and consume texts solely on the basis of gender or sexuality?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    After you read: Important ideas <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The concept of <\/em>gender unravels a variety of cultural moments and movements that have defined and reflected upon a number of social changes. The cultural trajectories of those changes have been outlined in Chapter 8 in relation to ideas, theorists, and cultural texts. With quizzes 8.1 and 8.2 follow those trajectories and revise their routes.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Quiz 8.1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Which is correct? (Choose between true<\/em> or false<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n