Arlene Stein

The Perils of Populism, edited by Sarah Tobias and Arlene Stein, is an excellent collection of essays that highlights a feminist perspective on the issues surrounding the recent rise of populism.

One of the strengths of this book is the way that gender, race, and class are discussed, bringing to light how the goals (or at least the logical ends) of their movements affect these areas. In addition we see how these particular issues often stand-in for other goals that they may hesitate to state explicitly. Coupled with this is how we can view populism, and respond to it, from a feminist perspective and using feminist tools. So this serves as both an explanation of what is happening (and what could happen) as well as a big picture way of understanding and attacking the problem.

The other thing I found effective was the format. The collection is bracketed by two essays that are interactions between several people. The first I found shows how the differences in feminist thought can work together, since they are speaking about the same things from their own personal areas of expertise. The final one is question and answer, a panel discussion, that brings some of the theory to the street, or makes it more personal. Between these bookend essays we have essays that are more focused on specifics, with each writer giving examples and working through that situation from their particular approach.

I find that this is, on the whole, an accessible book for most readers. But I want to explain what I mean. With academic books I consider there to be two ways to be accessible. One is to make sure to avoid discipline-specific jargon and keep explanations to the point. To me, this type of accessible is wider, for most readers with an interest in the topic and able to be read at that reader's regular reading speed. The other type is one that uses jargon but defines terms in clear language or, serving the same purpose, uses examples and analogies that illustrate the term. I think of this as more narrowly accessible, but not too much. It might require a little more effort on the reader's part but not necessarily an academic background in the area. It will likely be a slower read for an engaged and active reader, mostly because of working with new terms or ideas even though they are explained well. That is where I place this book. For someone who doesn't mind engaging rather than simply receiving the information, this is accessible. If you can't stand academic writing it might be a slog, but if the topic is of interest you can get through it.

Yeah, I know, I get long-winded, sorry. I would recommend this to anyone concerned with the rise of, at this point in time, right wing populism. Whether your interest is in learning more about how it is being used or about how to best combat it, this book will offer insight.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (altro)

A work of popular sociology focused on interviews with several trans men and a transmasculine lesbian undergoing top surgery. While Stein does her best to be sensitive and does a solid job discussing a wide variety of trans issues, this is very much a book written by a cis person for cis people. Stein lets her second-wave-feminist-lesbian tendencies out sometimes, which feels very dismissive. But she talks about nonbinary and gender-diverse identities with some enthusiasm, she acknowledges her own limitations, and she's obviously respectful of her subjects. This is a decent Trans 201 for cis folks, and in that context I'll recommend it.… (altro)

Sociologist Arlene Stein organizes her discussion of transgender issues around the life stories of four individuals she met in a Florida plastic surgeon's waiting room. The surgeon specializes in "top" surgery for F2M transgender people and others who don't like having breasts. The lives of Stein's subjects, Ben, Parker, Lucas and Nadia, seem fraught with anxieties and complications with or without boobs.

The narrative is at its best when Stein lets the individuals involved speak for themselves about what it is like to be a transman today. I wish Stein had found a larger sample size with more variety (her subjects are all white, twenty-something and raised Catholic). The book also includes an interesting final chapter on current trends in gender identity.

It can be hard for those who have never experienced gender dysphoria to understand why anyone would want to undergo painful and expensive surgery to remove a non-diseased body part. This text goes a long way toward explaining this often misunderstood phenomenon, and more.… (altro)