继《性别麻烦》和《身体之重》之后，巴特勒的这部论文集对她自己提出的性别操演观点进行了重新审视，并开始将对性别的关注点从哲学话语转向现实生活与政治。她针对身体解剖学、美学以及社会与政治等领域对性与性别的各种限定和标准，提出了消解性别这一应对策略。在本书中，她考察了乱伦禁忌的意义和目的、新型亲属关系、性别跨越、双性、性别诊断和变性手术等问题，将对性别规范的批判置于人类生存与延续的框架之内。巴特勒的论述涉及近年来出现的“新性别政治”的各个方面。

`Lively and impressive. I can easily imagine this text being used by both gender and women's studies undergraduates and postgraduates. In particular it will enable students to get a sense of how older and more contemporary theoretical movements and debates relate to one another' - Lisa Adkins, Department of Sociology, University of Manchester</p> </p> Part of a new `Key Concepts' series published by SAGE, Key Concepts in Gender Studies offers 1,500 word expositions of 50 topics central to the field.</p> </p> Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan's introduction gives an account of gender studies - what it is and how it originated. Their selection of topics is authoritative and the 50 entries reflect the complex, multi-faceted nature of the field in an accessible dictionary format.</p> </p> Each of the 50 key concepts:</p> · begins with a concise definition</p> · includes illustrations of how the concept has been applied within the field</p> · offers examples which allow a critical re-evaluation of the concept </p> · is cross-referenced with the other key concepts </p> · makes further reading suggestions.</p> </p> The level of detail offered encourages understanding of gender studies without sacrificing depth detail and critical evaluation essential to convey the complexity of the issues dealt with. As such, the book appeals both to undergraduate and postgraduate students across a range of social science disciplines. </p> </p> 50 Key Concepts in Gender Studies gives testimony to the health of gender studies and related disciplines and looks forward to an ever-shifting dynamic of debates and ideas.