Among the central issues of the modern feminist movement, the debate
over biology and culture over sex and gender, over genetics and gender
roles has certainly been one of the most passionately contested. Making
revolutionary arguments upon its first publication in 1953, The Natural
Superiority of Women stands as one of the original feminist arguments
against biological determinism. An iconoclast, Montagu wielded his
encyclopedic knowledge of physical anthropology in critique of the
conventional wisdom of women as the "weaker sex," showing how women's
biological, genetic, and physical makeup made her not only man's equal,
but his superior. Also a humanist, Montagu points to the emotional and
social qualities typically ascribed to and devalued in women as being
key to just social life and relationships. Subsequent editions of this
book have provided additional support for Montagu's arguments, examining
both biological and social scientific data of the late 20th century. One
of the most broadly renowned and read scholars of our century, Montagu
brings out this fifth edition with up-to-date statistics and references.
A lengthy foreword by Susan Sperling contextualizes the book within the
intellectual histories of feminism and anthropology, noting the huge
social and intellectual changes that are spanned in Montagu's life and
writing. Montagu's foundational book is an important addition to the
library of all gender scholars.
