Congress Paper Abstract

A sometime woman: the limits of social construction

Miqqui A. Gilbert, Dept of Philosophy, York University, Canada 

Email: Gilbert@YorkU.CA

The conceptual apparatus of Social Construction Theory [SCT] has played a large role in the recent research in gender and transgender issues. The basic idea that an individual need not be limited to a birth-designated gender based on apparent genital identification finds support in the conception that gender is a cultural artifact supported by historical, political and social institutions.

My paper applies SCT to the situation in which a cross dresser find him/herself. In this case, as opposed to the transsexual who permanently adopts (or has always adopted) the opposite" gender, the cross dresser treats gender as something that is put on and taken off. The question is, can SCT support an activity of this nature? I argue that it can, but that generalizations regarding cross dressing must be scrutinized in order to determine if such a conceptual apparatus can apply.

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