Book Review: The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities

The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities, Joan Z. Spade and Catherine G. Valentine, 2014. Sage: Los Angeles. 587 pages, black and white photographs chapter 6 only. Paperback. Joan Z. Spade is professor emerita of sociology at The College at Brockport, State University of New York, in Brockport, New York). Catherine G. Valentine is professor emerita of sociology at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York). In the fourth edition of The Kaleidoscope of Gender, Joan Z. Spade and Catherine G. Valentine, have revised their sociological reader on gender to reflect current views and include new literature in the field. They keep this edition contemporary, but still maintain their original format and general sub-themes. As with the previous editions of this work, the authors use the metaphor of the kaleidoscope as a comparison technique to explain their interpretations of the sociology of gender, the social construct of gender, and the relationship between gender and other cultural concepts. They explain this through the lens of a kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope is an optical viewing tube containing mirrors and prisms, colored transparent pieces of glass, plastic, or paper that refract light. When rotated, these geometric shapes produce patterns that can change and make new pictures and an endless array of design possibilities. The authors explain their use of the kaleidoscope metaphor in their preface: "It focuses on the prisms through which gender is shaped, the patterns gender takes, and the possibilities of ourselves and our relations with others, both locally and globally" (xi). This statement succinctly delineates the authors' purpose and introduces the reader to the three part structure of the book. With this focus in mind, Spade and Valentine's revised work includes a higher concentration of readings on masculinity, an emphasis on current "social movements for gender justice," and a greater global and intersectionality concentration. Approximately fourteen percent (seven) of the readings in the new edition are also from the original edition, an additional twenty-eight percent (fourteen) were first added to the second addition; fourteen percent (seven) were new in the third edition, and forty-four percent (twenty-two) are original to this edition. The readings original publication dates span from 1993 to 2012. This book consists of three major sections or themes that are part of a kaleidoscope: prisms, patterns, and possibilities. Each of the three parts of the book is subdivided into chapters, of which there are ten. Each chapter includes introductory and overview information as well as a list of references. Most of the fifty readings in the book were originally published in academic journals, such as Gender & Society, Men and Masculinities, Social Problems, Psychology of Women Quarterly, Ethnography, and Signs or from chapters in books. Each reading in the text includes an "Introduction to the Reading," followed by three to four questions for reflection and analysis. After each of the readings, which vary in length from six to eleven pages, are notes and references. The intended audience for this work is undergraduates enrolled in courses that focus on gender studies, women's studies, and/or social change. It may be used as the main text for a course or chosen for selected readings. Professors who assign this book as a textbook may find it invaluable to require students to read and study the introduction. The introduction not only summarizes and explains the various sections of the book, but also provides an extensive vocabulary of rich text and definitions. Within this section, the authors define the term "metaphor" and thoroughly explain their metaphor of "kaleidoscope of gender." The introduction also describes key terms including prisms, social prisms, gender stereotypes, hegemonic, and intersectionality. Theoretical approaches for understanding gender, including "Functionalism," "Conflict Theories," "Social Conflict Theories," "Queer Theories," "Relational Theory," "Feminist Theories" and more are also discussed here. …