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Debating Sex and Gender and After Identity

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Debating Sex and Gender and After Identity
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In Debating Sex and Gender and After Identity, Dr. Warnke presents various arguments that demonstrate how sex, gender, and race are all social constructs. Do you agree or disagree with her argument, and why?

Concepts of sex, gender and race in English language have undergone uncountable naturalization and universalities, to a point that they are now considered to have always been present. There are numerous arguments that revolve around the three concepts of human diversity. Dr. Warnke for example argues that the three concepts above are social constructs (Warnke 153). This paper is in the light of Dr Warnke’s argument but rather disagrees with her argument about sex, gender and race as social constructs. A critical analysis of her argument is presented in this paper. My stand here is that I agree with Dr. Warnke that race or ethnicity is a social construct, but I totally disagree with her that sex and gender are social constructs.

To start with, it is important to put forward the difference between sex and gender. The two terms have different meaning and the meaning of each borrows from different theories characteristic of feminist theories. The term sex refers to male or female based on biological features. On the other hand, the term gender denotes men and women as defined by social factors. However the extent to which the society meets its definition for gender is based on diverse and dynamic considerations, such that gender aspects will vary from one society to another (Warnke 156).

Natural or biological treatment characterizes the analysis of these two terms. That is, sex and gender. From gender and sexual studies videos, all persons are categorized to both sex and gender. Also, that is the same case with race or ethnicity. People actually pass as members of a given category. For instance, actors in any given piece of art may take a given character that depicts belonging to a certain race



Cited: Warnke, Georgia. After Identity: rethinking race, sex and gender. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

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