Introduction

This introductory chapter thinks about the concept of gender in further depth and creates a critical frame for the book as a whole. The word ‘gender’ may be used as a synonym for ‘sex’, but more often in sociological and other literature refers to male or female with regard to social and cultural ideas and beliefs acquired through enculturation. Inscribed on the Body is a reference to a corpus of scholarly activity that addresses how bodies are ‘inscribed’ or imbued with cultural meaning with regard to gender norms, and how in turn assumptions about gender difference lead to practices of inequality. This is an example of Hogan’s polemical essay writing at its best.