Between and Beyond Intersex and Transgender Studies: A Review of Transgender and Intersex: Theoretical, Practical, and Artistic Perspectives, Stefan Horlacher ed., New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016

Abstract

This review assesses Transgender and Intersex: Theoretical, Practical, and Artistic Perspectives 2016, edited by Stefan Horlacher. Inspired by the international and interdisciplinary conference on “Transgender and Intersex in the Arts, Science and Society” that was held in 2012 in Dresden and that gathered researchers, activists, and artists working in transgender and intersex studies, the collection aims at mapping potential alliances between intersex and transgender positions, while acknowledging that the interests of transgender and intersex communities and researchers may be conflicting, if not at times contradictory. The volume adopts a non-hierarchical, multiperspectival, and interdisciplinary approach to examine a variety of issues related to gender variance and politics of recognition. Accordingly, the articles focus on those processes and texts that have played major roles in deconstructing and reconstructing gender identities during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and present analyses of legal and sociopolitical issues, theoretical perspectives and dilemmas, and literary and visual representations. The diverse topics and perspectives embrace the ethical framework of human rights, so as to inquire into the ways through which the lives and representations of marginalized groups can be improved.