i studied sociology and the wonderful v interdisciplinary field of gender studies, here is a combo of my favorite papers + some of the most interesting (if not bizarre) ones. obv they are both heavy fields and i donât remember exactly what is in each so just be warned there may be difficult topics mentioned! also i am just copy/pasting some of these from old bibliographies and syllabi lol but if you google them most have free PDFs online. i tried picking stuff related to culture but apologies if this is too long, i am a soc/gs nerd!
articles:
the REAL meaning and origin of the term âmale gazeâ (and why I get SO mad when women today misuse it instead of saying internalized misogyny): Laura Mulvey âVisual Pleasure and Narrative Cinemaâ 1989
Dana M Britton âThe Epistemology of the Gendered Organizationâ 2000
Dick Hebdidge âSubculture: The Meaning of Styleâ 2011 (book)
George Chauncey âGay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890â1940â 1994 (book not article but super iconic / important)
Dean Spade âNormal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of Lawâ 2011 (another book, v dense)
Joan Acker (def check out her other work if you like this one, I love her stuff) âFrom Sex Roles to Gendered Institutionsâ 1992
Colin Kaepernick, Robin D. G. Kelley, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (editors) âOur History Has Always Been Contrabandâ 2023 (book about Black Studies comprised of essays/excerpts of theory and about history)
Evan B Towle and Lynn M Morgan âRomancing the Transgender Native Rethinking the Use of the "Third Gender" Conceptâ 2002
WEB DuBois âThe Souls of Black Folkâ 1903 (more people should read this)
J. E. Sumerau, Ryan T. Cragun, Lain A. B. Mathers ââI Found God in The Glory Holeâ: The Moral Career of a Gay Christianâ 2016 lol
Patricia Hill Collins âTOWARD A NEW VISION: RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER AS CATEGORIES OF ANALYSIS AND CONNECTIONâ 1993 (sorry for all caps)
Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman âDoing Genderâ 1987
Laurel Westbrook and Kristen Schilt âDoing Gender, Determining Gender:Â Transgender People, Gender Panics, and the Maintenance of the Sex/Gender/Sexuality Systemâ 2014 (MORE PEOPLE SHOULD READ THIS! it basically offers empirical evidence / explanation of of how transphobia actually perpetuates misogyny rather than simply âprotecting womenâ or not)
OlĂșfemi O. TĂĄĂwĂČ âElite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politicsâ 2022 (book)
Cathy J Cohen âPunks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queensâ 1997
Colin P Ashley âGay Liberation: How a Once Radical Movement Got Married and Settled Downâ 2015