You've Changed

Is sex identity a feature of one's mind or body, and is it a relational or intrinsic property? Who is in the best position to know a person's sex, do we each have a true sex, and is a person's sex an alterable characteristic? When a person's sex assignment changes, has the old self disappeared and a new one emerged; or, has only the public presentation of one's self changed? "You've Changed" examines the philosophical questions raised by the phenomenon of sex reassignment, and brings together the essays of scholars known for their work in gender, sexuality, queer, and disability studies, feminist epistemology and science studies, and philosophical accounts of personal identity. An interdisciplinary contribution to the emerging field of transgender studies, it will be of interest to students and scholars in a number of disciplines.

You've Changed' is a thoughtful and engaging collection of eleven philosophical essays on sex reassignment, from a range of scholars with varying points of view.... The writing is interesting and lively, and there is a well-organized and insightful introduction by the editor, Laurie Shrage. Naturally, this book will be of interest to those working in gender and sexuality studies, queer studies, feminist philosophy, and science studies. But it should also be of interest to those interested in the epistemological, metaphysical, and moral aspects of personal identity. The theorizing here offers a set of reflections on identity from a new and important perspective, and several authors argue that ethics, politics and values are essential to understanding identity. This claim is worth considering from a broader perspective than just sex and gender., The breadth of scope of the volume on 'trans' identities is awe-inspiring. Christine Overall's essay, like all essays in the volume, is praiseworthy for its sophisticated and serious effort. Gayle Salamon's essay, 'The Sexual Schema: Transportation and Transgender in Phenomenology of Perception,' is particularly brilliant for its appraisal of Merleau-Ponty's text and how it manages to illustrate how Merleau Ponty's work in general - once shunned for being too 'airy-fairy,' poetical, or qualitative - proves quite useful to discussions of trans identities., You've Changed' is a brilliant collection of essays on the transgender and intersex experience... This illuminating book clearly has much to offer anyone studying queer or gender studies. However, it should not be overlooked by others, as this collection also presents some provocative food-for-thought to those with interests in race, body image, intimate relationships - even the meaning of 'identity' itself.

Laurie J. Shrage is the Director of Women's Studies and Professor of Philosophy at Florida International University.