Complexities of gender and sex

Abstract

This editorial reflects on the controversy at the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society's conference, where a session on the fixity of biological sex was cancelled. Retracing developments from Simone de Beauvoir's foundational ideas to the theories of second-wave feminism it emphasizes how the gender concept was posed as a dynamic cultural construct. rather than a fixed biological fate, then shows that biological sex is also more complex than earlier characterizations of it as given, fixed, and immutable. Underscoring the complexities of academic debate and inclusivity, the piece highlights anthropologists’ work in revealing gender diversity and spotlights the role of young LGBTQI researchers in reshaping our concepts of sex and gender, which have moved from fixed binaries to a more fluid understanding in contemporary thought. The editorial concludes with a call for an integrated, non-dichotomous approach to (cultural) gender and (biological) sex, a nuanced understanding that recognizes their interplay.