GENDER IN HISTORYPraise for the first edition:"Wiesner-Hanks ... accomplishes a near-impossible feat - a review of what is known about the construction of gender and the character of women's lives in all known cultures over the course of human history .... Theoretically sophisticated and doing justice to the historical and cross-cultural record, yet assimilable by students."Choice"Gender in History brilliantly explores the influence of gender constructs in political, social, economic, and cultural affairs. The remarkable cultural, geographical, and chronological range of Wiesner-Hanks' research is matched only by the sophistication, nuance, and clarity of her analysis. This book offers a rare and valuable global perspective on gender roles in human history."Jerry H. Bentley, University of HawaiiOver the past two decades, considerations of gender have revolutionized the study of history. Yet most books on the subject remain narrowly focused on a specific time period or particular region of the world. Gender in History: Global Perspectives, Second Edition, continues to redress this inequity by providing a concise overview of the construction of gender in many world cultures over a period stretching from the Paleolithic era to modern times.Thoroughly updated to reflect current developments in the field, the new edition features entirely new sections which address primates, slavery, colonialism, masculinity, transgender issues, and other relevant topics. As in the well-received first edition, material is presented thematically to reveal the connections between gender and structures such as the family, economy, law, religion, sexuality, and the state. Wiesner-Hanks also investigates precisely what it meant to be a man or woman throughout history; how these roles were shaped by various institutions; and how they in turn were influenced by gender. The author presents material within each chapter chronologically to highlight the ways in which gender structures have varied over time.The new edition of Gender in History: Global Perspectives offers rich insights into all that is currently known about gender roles throughout world history.A companion website is available at wiley.com/go/wiesnerhanks

Chronological Table of Contents viiAcknowledgments viii1 Introduction 1Sex and Gender 2Gender History and Theory 6Structure of the Book 11The Origins of Patriarchy 132 The Family 25Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (4000 BCE-600 BCE) 27The Classical Cultures of China, India, and the Mediterranean (600 BCE-500 CE) 29Africa, the Americas, and Southeast Asia in the Premodern Era (600 BCE-1600 CE) 33Medieval and Early Modern Europe and the Mediterranean (500 CE-1600 CE) 36The Colonial World (1500-1900) 39The Industrial and Postindustrial World (1800-2010) 453 Economic Life 55Foraging, Horticultural, and Herding Societies (20,000 BCE-1800 CE) 56Agricultural Societies (7000 BCE-1800 CE) 60Slavery (7000 BCE-1900 CE) 63Capitalism and Industrialism (1500-2000) 65Corporations, the State, and the Service Economy (1900-2010) 724 Ideas, Ideals, Norms, and Laws 83The Nature and Roles of Men and Women 86Binaries 91Motherhood and Fatherhood 95Ideologies, Norms, and Laws Prescribing Gender Inequity 98Ideologies of Egalitarianism 1005 Religion 109Animism, Shamanism, and Paganism (from 40,000 BCE) 110Written Religions in the Ancient Near East (from 3000 BCE) 113Confucianism and Taoism (from 600 BCE) 115Hinduism and Buddhism (from 600 BCE) 117Christianity (from 30 CE) 121Islam (from 600 CE) 1266 Political Life 137Kin Groups, Tribes, and Villages (from 10,000 BCE) 139Hereditary Aristocracies (from 3000 BCE) 141Warfare 147Citizenship (500 BCE-1800 CE) 151Women's Rights Movements (1800-2010) 155Colonialism, Anticolonialism, and Postcolonialism (1500-2010) 1587 Education and Culture 170Classical and Postclassical Cultures (600 BCE-1450 CE) 174The Renaissance (1400-1600) 178Democracy, Modernity, and Literacy (1750-2010) 1828 Sexuality 195Classical Eurasia (600 BCE-600 CE) 199The Americas (500 CE-1500 CE) 202Third Genders 204The Colonial World: Sex and Race (1500-1900) 206Modern Sexuality in the West (1750-1950) 209The Globalized World (1950-2010) 214Afterword 224Index 228