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McElvaine Earns
Praise for his History of Gender Roles Dr. Robert S. McElvaine, Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts and Letters and Chair of the Department of History, has gained praise for his latest book, Eve's Seed: Biology, the Sexes, and the Course of History. McElvaine has devoted more than 10 years to reinterpreting human experience in the context of forced gender roles. "After reading Eve's Seed, you'll never look at a farm, the Bible, feminism, rock 'n' roll lyrics, mass consumption, or Bill Clinton in the same way," says Stanford University professor Paul R. Ehrlich. Bridging the gap between evolutionary biology and history, McElvaine has created a new approach which he terms biohistory. His core argument is that men collectively suffer from "womb envy" and because they cannot do what women do - bear children, for example - men have told women what they may not do. Thus, he sees traditional gender roles as a product of both biological and cultural evolution. By understanding the differences between men and women through this lens, he offers hope that the systematic subordination of women from prehistory to the modern era might be arrested. PREVIOUS PAGE | PAGE 1 OF 1 | NEXT PAGE |
