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Beschreibung

Current debates about gender identity are fraught with contradictions. Even as we increasingly recognize gender as an assigned category or social convention, we still see it as inherent to who we are, fundamental to our sense of self. But the quest to find one's true self is unfulfillable. How can we find alternatives to the focus on getting our identity "right"?

This book offers a cultural critique of gender narratives, spanning traditional conformity to gender roles, the modern quest for individual authenticity beyond gender, and the recent social media-fueled concern with curating gendered profiles. Hans-Georg Moeller puts Daoist philosophy into conversation with present-day thinkers, showing why it helps us rethink common notions about identity. Discussing a wide range of cases, from Chinese foot binding to the politics around transgender issues today, he argues that we can defuse our anxieties by recognizing that gender--like all identities--is social, not individual, and changes at different times and in different places. Accessibly written and empathetic, The Enigma of Gender calls on us to be at ease with whoever we happen to be.

Current debates about gender identity are fraught with contradictions. Even as we increasingly recognize gender as an assigned category or social convention, we still see it as inherent to who we are, fundamental to our sense of self. But the quest to find one's true self is unfulfillable. How can we find alternatives to the focus on getting our identity "right"?

This book offers a cultural critique of gender narratives, spanning traditional conformity to gender roles, the modern quest for individual authenticity beyond gender, and the recent social media-fueled concern with curating gendered profiles. Hans-Georg Moeller puts Daoist philosophy into conversation with present-day thinkers, showing why it helps us rethink common notions about identity. Discussing a wide range of cases, from Chinese foot binding to the politics around transgender issues today, he argues that we can defuse our anxieties by recognizing that gender--like all identities--is social, not individual, and changes at different times and in different places. Accessibly written and empathetic, The Enigma of Gender calls on us to be at ease with whoever we happen to be.
Über den Autor
Hans-Georg Moeller is professor of philosophy at the University of Macau. His Columbia University Press books include You and Your Profile: Identity After Authenticity (2021) and Genuine Pretending: On the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi (2017), both with Paul J. D'Ambrosio.
Details
Erscheinungsjahr: 2026
Fachbereich: Östliche Philosophie
Genre: Importe, Philosophie
Region: Osten
Rubrik: Geisteswissenschaften
Medium: Taschenbuch
Inhalt: Einband - flex.(Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780231221283
ISBN-10: 0231221282
Sprache: Englisch
Einband: Kartoniert / Broschiert
Autor: Moeller, Hans-Georg
Hersteller: Columbia University Press
Verantwortliche Person für die EU: Libri GmbH, Europaallee 1, D-36244 Bad Hersfeld, gpsr@libri.de
Maße: 217 x 140 x 13 mm
Von/Mit: Hans-Georg Moeller
Erscheinungsdatum: 24.02.2026
Gewicht: 0,315 kg
Artikel-ID: 136821392