Abstract
The recognition of gender as a constituent element of social structure poses a profound challenge to received wisdom and practice in sociology. We review selected aspects of the new scholarship and its fundamental critique of objectivism and dualistic models. Counterchallenges are acknowledged: from institutional and collegial resistance, on the one hand, to an enhanced awareness of the dilemmas posed by diversity and sameness within and between gender categories, on the other hand. From their struggle with these issues, feminist scholars are constructing a sociology that transcends dichotomies, embraces diversity, and links the several levels of social analysis.
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Hess, B.B. Beyond dichotomy: Drawing distinctions and embracing differences. Sociol Forum 5, 75–93 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01115138
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01115138