French Literature Reviews - 2026
Éric Fassin, Les Études de genre
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
In the 1970s, feminists adopted the concept of gender, originally derived from the psycho-medical field. Their critical stance no longer aimed at normalization, but at denaturalizing sex: breaking away from the self-evidence of an unequal sexual order that traps the "second sex" within a nature established as destiny. Since then, this concept has expanded and shifted across various contexts. The field of gender studies thus brings together multiple approaches to diverse subjects.
These continuously evolving studies renew themselves in resonance with current events. They address power dynamics, controversies surrounding inclusive language, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as racial and social issues under neoliberalism. Gender studies demonstrate that the sexual order is not a natural order, but a social one. The fact that they face such intense opposition today is a sign of their profound scientific and political significance.
Contents:
Introduction – Sexual Democracy
I. A Concept and Theories
II. Contemporary Gender Issues
Chapter 1 – Gender and Language
I. Gender in Translation
II. Grammatical Gender
III. The Querelle des Femmes
IV. The Gender Dispute
V. Literary Gender
Chapter II – Gender and Sex
I. Herculine or Abel
II. Changing Gender
III. Changing the Gender
IV. Patients Get Impatient
V. From Culture to Power
VI. Political Epistemology of Sex
VII. The Sex of the State
Chapter III – Gender and Sexuality
I. Being and Having
II. Homophobia vs. Transphobia
III. The Advent of the Clitoris
IV. The Lesbian Continuum
V. Materialist Feminism
VI. "Lesbians Are Not Women"
VII. The Sex Wars
Chapter IV – Gender and Violence
I. Sexist and Sexual Harassment
II. Symbolic Violence and Physical Violence
III. The "Others" and "Ours"
IV. In the Era of #MeToo
Chapter V – Gender and Power
I. Subjection and Subjectification
II. Masculinities
III. Drag
IV. Political Virility and Virile Politics
V. "Signifying Power Relations"
Chapter VI – Gender and Intersectionality
I. An Intersectional Affair
II. Black Feminism in the United States
III. Intersectionality Across Borders
IV. Intersectionality as Language
Chapter VII – Gender and Capitalism
I. From Marxism to Feminism
II. Domestic Labor, Unpaid Labor
III. Care Work
IV. Neoliberal Gender
Conclusion – Situated Knowledge
Bibliography
Gender studies emerged from the feminist movements of the 1970s, which sought to decouple the biological category of sex from social hierarchies. By adopting gender as an analytical framework, researchers moved beyond the psycho-medical origins of the term to investigate how social structures shape identity and inequality. This field intersects with various disciplines to examine how power operates within domestic and public spheres. Readers interested in the historical development of feminist theory and the intellectual foundations of contemporary debates on identity and social order may find this work relevant.
The field of gender studies has expanded into diverse areas, ranging from the politics of language and the history of sexuality to the complexities of intersectionality and neoliberal capitalism. Academic inquiry in this field reflects and responds to current societal controversies. The study of gender encompasses the shift from materialist feminism to contemporary concerns regarding violence and representation. It functions as a critical lens for understanding the social construction of human relations, demonstrating that the sexual order is a social rather than a natural one.