PUBlic Professor Series | Dr. Paul Vasey
Beyond the Binary: What the West Can Learn from Non-Western Approaches to Gender Diversity
Dr. Paul Vasey, Department of Psychology
In many cultures, worldwide, more than two genders are recognized. In such places, individuals exist that are perceived as being neither men, nor women. Instead, such individuals are recognized as “third” genders. Dr. Vasey works in two such cultures. Since 2003, he has conducted research in the south Pacific island nation of Samoa, where feminine same-sex attracted males are recognized as a third gender, known locally as fa’afafine. Since 2015, he has worked in the Istmo region of Oaxaca, Mexico, where feminine same-sex attracted males are recognized as a third gender, known locally by the indigenous Zapotec as muxes. Dr. Vasey will describe his research in both these cultures that illuminate lessons a Western audience might learn from non-Western approaches to gender diversity.
Learn more abut Dr. Vasey's research.