Trans Studies in Anthropology

Abstract

Trans studies—or research on the experiences, identities, and practices of transgender, transsexual, trans*, or gender nonbinary communities of practice—is a relatively new area of focus within the discipline of anthropology. Anthropologists who engage in trans-specific research may do so in any geographic location and across the primary subfields of the discipline: sociocultural, biological/physical, archaeology, and linguistics. Historically, anthropologists who have conducted research or examined gender practices that do not fit within a traditional Western sex-gender binary have done so outside the context of North Atlantic populations, with the exception of indigenous communities. Much of this literature emerged out of a focus on nonheterosexual sexual practices or identities. Moreover, older scholarship on gender transgression did not necessarily reflect the words or experiences of those being researched but instead relied on and reflected the markedly Eurocentric and ethnocentric approach from the researchers. As such, much of modern trans-specific research conducted in anthropology relies heavily on interdisciplinary texts both for historical and theoretical orientations. Additionally, trans, as a category of analysis, has itself undergone shifts in usage and meaning, which continue to evolve as the field grows. Finally, authorship and representation are important features of trans studies in anthropology, since many of those who have had access to the capacity to conduct research and publish texts are not members of the communities that they represent.

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