GENDER

Gender is a social construct that strings together norms, behaviours, and societal roles associated with individuals on the basis of their sex. Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of their gender, which may align with the binary categories of male and female or fall outside of them. In recent years, an expanding understanding of gender has empowered many to embrace their authentic selves and live according to their true identities. Individuals whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth are termed cisgender. Individuals who identify with a gender different from the sex assigned at birth have called themselves transgender. Those who do not identify strictly as male or female may describe themselves as non-binary, and individuals who feel they have no gender identity may identify as “agender.” 

Gender theory, attributed to feminist and queer theorists, challenges the existence of “sexes” outside the constructs of language and societal norms, while acknowledging biological differences. By queer theory international scholarship means theories that challenges the naturalisation of sex/gender/sexuality norms. Based on the idea that language determines social relations, gender theory radically challenges any notion of social behaviour and structure as “natural” and claims that “nature” and “culture” are irremediably interconnected. This perspective has influenced poststructuralist approaches across various academic disciplines, leading to new analyses of patriarchy that emphasize its role in shaping ideas of sex, sexuality, and identity based on binary norms, heterosexuality, and cisgender identities. Patriarchy is viewed not only as a system that subordinates women but also one that imposes norms and behaviours on all gendered individuals, impacting their lives materially. 

Gender studies, examine these norms within specific contexts and have led to the development of queer and masculinity studies, which explore the effects of societal norms on constructions of masculinity and heteronormativity. While initially seen as a product of Western thought, gender studies have been utilized by anti-racist scholars to understand intersectional systems of oppression, including those in colonial and post-colonial contexts. Both gender and race are recognized as social constructs within these analyses. 

Gender theory and gender studies, along with other radical frameworks, are currently facing opposition from conservative and far-right groups in the West due to their challenges to heteropatriarchy, capitalism, racism, and colonialism. Despite this opposition, they continue to shed light on the oppressive systems that affect marginalized gendered and racialized individuals. 

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Connell, Raewyn. 2009. Gender: in world perspective, Polity 

Eng, David L; Halberstam, Jack; Muñoz, José Esteban. 2005. What’s queer about queer studies now?. Duke University Press. 

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