Material Girls, Kathleen Stock
Material Girls, Kathleen Stock
1 Rating(s)
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Material Girls
Why Reality Matters for Feminism

Author: Kathleen Stock

Narrator: Kathleen Stock

Unabridged: 8 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/26/2021

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

'A clear, concise, easy-to-read account of the issues between sex, gender and feminism . . . an important book' Evening Standard

'A call for cool heads at a time of great heat and a vital reminder that revolutions don't always end well' Sunday Times

Material Girls is a timely and trenchant critique of the influential theory that we all have an inner feeling known as a gender identity, and that this feeling is more socially significant than our biological sex.

Professor Kathleen Stock surveys the philosophical ideas that led to this point, and closely interrogates each one, from De Beauvoir's statement that, 'One is not born, but rather becomes a woman' (an assertion she contends has been misinterpreted and repurposed), to Judith Butler's claim that language creates biological reality, rather than describing it. She looks at biological sex in a range of important contexts, including women-only spaces and resources, healthcare, epidemiology, political organization and data collection.

Material Girls makes a clear, humane and feminist case for our retaining the ability to discuss reality, and concludes with a positive vision for the future, in which trans rights activists and feminists can collaborate to achieve some of their political aims.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ben on May 25, 2021

Lots of four- and five-star reviews which appreciate the author's nuanced take on the subject while raising valid criticisms where necessary, and a bunch of one-star reviews firing off ad hominem one-liners. A perfect summation of the gender wars.......more

Goodreads review by Domhnall on May 07, 2021

Kathleen Stock teaches philosophy at an English university and brings to bear both her academic discipline and her evident competence as a teacher and mentor in this very accessible, readable account of gender identity theory in this country. She strives, courageously, to build a bridge between oppo......more

Goodreads review by Colin on August 28, 2021

I've been following this discussion (if I can call it that) about trans rights and how society makes itself more welcoming to gender-nonconforming people pretty closely for a few years now. Even more so than most controversies, it's polarised, driven by the most extreme voices, amplified by twitter......more

Goodreads review by Rachel Zuroff on May 20, 2021

I really enjoyed this book. Kathleen Stock lays out her arguments for why talking about biological sex and its impacts continues to matter in clear and lucid terms. She is generous and charitable to her intellectual opponents, never stooping to strawmen or ad hominem attacks. A necessary read for an......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on May 09, 2021

A very good book which sets out the currently orthodox approach to sex and gender more clearly and convincingly than most of its actual advocates (quotations from whom demonstrate a staunch commitment to obfuscation, euphemism and misogyny), before exploring the real-world problems it has been causi......more


Quotes

[Material Girls] pack[s] a punch . . . A call for cool heads at a time of great heat and a vital reminder that revolutions don't always end well Sunday Times

Reading the book I felt an intense sense of relief that finally a comprehensive account of gender identity theory was presented and explored with both clarity and depth . . . a clear, concise, easy-to-read account of the issues between sex, gender and feminism . . . an important book, and it is the middle ground who need to read it as it shows how, if we are to live in a world where gender identity trumps biological sex, then it will be women - the physically weaker sex - who lose out Evening Standard

In her commitment to free speech, good-faith debate, clear and careful argument and upholding reason over dogma, Stock writes faithfully in the tradition of the Enlightenment UnHerd

A fearless, rigorous study of gender identity . . . [Material Girls is] a brave, enlightening, closely argued book Daily Telegraph

A clear-sighted analysis in tricky territory Evening Standard

Anyone who has felt confounded by the shifting debate about sex and gender will find some clarity here. More importantly, you will find a curious mind and a generous spirit Mail on Sunday