Feeling gender : a generational and psychosocial approach /

Bjerrum Nielsen (Centre for Gender Research, Norway) uses in-depth, qualitative interviews with three generations of participants from Norway to understand their feelings and expressions of gender. She shows how attitudes, feelings, and beliefs over the generations have changed among both men and women. By using a psychosocial, intergenerational approach, the author focuses on the processes of transition from childhood to adulthood, as well as the processes of transmission between generations. The ten chapters in this interdisciplinary work bridge the gap between sociological and psychological approaches to gender. Bjerrum Nielsen focuses on the dominant feelings and patterns within each generation, exploring a wide range of attitudes on work, relationships, bodies, reflections, practices, and attitudes. Her well-nuanced approach pays close attention not just to generational differences, but also to class-based differences. The language in this methodologically rigorous book is heavily theoretical and jargon-heavy. The in-depth interviews yield very interesting and engaging quotes, especially in chapters 5-7; however, these findings need more organization. Of potential use to scholars and advanced graduate students, the book, overall, is a welcome addition to the literature. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students/faculty/specialists. --Yasemin Besen-Cassino, Montclair State University