Overview
- Makes a novel contribution to the history of the last 50 years’ sexual selection research from a gender perspective
- Written by a researcher with unusual interdisciplinary expertise in evolutionary biology and feminist science studies
- Accessible to a broad audience across biology, science studies, gender studies, history and philosophy of science
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book traces the history of how evolutionary biology transformed its understanding of females from being coy, reserved and sexually passive, to having active sexual strategies and often mating with multiple males. Why did it take so long to discover female active sexual strategies? What prevented some researchers from engaging in sexually active females, and what prompted others to develop this new knowledge?
The Female Turn provides a global overview of shifting perceptions about females in sexual selection research on a wide range of animals, from invertebrates to primates. Evolutionary biologist and feminist science scholar Malin Ah-King explores this history from a unique interdisciplinary vantage point. Based on extensive knowledge of the scientific literature on sexual selection and in-depth interviews with leading researchers, pioneers and feminist scientists in the field, her analysis engages with key theoretical approaches in gender studies of science. Analyzing the researchers’ scientific interests, theoretical frameworks, specific study animals, technological innovations, methodologies and sometimes feminist insights, reveals how these have shaped conclusions drawn about sex. Thereby, The Female Turn shows how certain researchers gained knowledge about active females whereas others missed, ignored or delayed it – that is, how ignorance was produced.
Reviews
The Female Turn makes an important contribution to the historiography of recent evolutionary biology and feminist science studies. Ah-King reveals what prevented scientists from engaging in the question of female sexual agency—and then what spurred some scientists to make the “turn”—noting the set of biographical, professional, and empirical conditions that enabled intellectual change.–Aaron Panofsky, Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Female Turn
Book Subtitle: How Evolutionary Science Shifted Perceptions About Females
Authors: Malin Ah-King
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7161-7
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-19-7160-0Published: 06 January 2023
Softcover ISBN: 978-981-19-7163-1Published: 07 January 2024
eBook ISBN: 978-981-19-7161-7Published: 04 January 2023
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 325
Number of Illustrations: 20 b/w illustrations
Topics: Sociology, general, Gender Studies, History of Science, Anthropology