Gendered Neurocultures

Brain research is a key research area to the question of what constitutes the human. With its methods of brain imaging – and thus the apparent ability to “see” into the “living brain at work” – human behavior seems to be explainable and predictable. At the same time, sexist assumptions inform a great deal of contemporary studies, which often catch the attention of the media by promoting the idea of a “male brain” and a “female brain”. This anthology brings together an international group of scholars to discuss brain research on sex/gender from a feminist and queer perspective. It offers a critique of neurosexism within brain research and within popular media that communicate this research to the public, and explores the prospects for feminist and queer neuroscientific research. Overall, readers can gain valuable insights for assessing brain research’s concepts and the value of brain references in popular media. The editors: Sigrid Schmitz has the Chair in Gender Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Vienna, and is Scientific Head of the Gender Research Office at the University of Vienna; Grit Höppner is Research Associate at the Chair in Gender Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Vienna.