Integral Voices on Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Book excerpt: Brings the insights of Integral Theory to the consideration of sex, gender, and sexuality. This volume takes a unique approach to the question of what it is to be a gendered, sexual self in a postmodern world, offering insights informed by the Integral paradigm of theory and practice. With the inquiry into sex, gender, and sexuality having become so broad and diverse within both academia and popular culture, the Integral approach can help sift through and make sense of the cacophony of theories and agendas that seek to stake their ground in this collective conversation. Informed by the work of thinkers such as Sri Aurobindo, Gregory Bateson, Jean Gebser, Ervin Laszlo, and, most directly, Ken Wilber, the Integral approach acknowledges and works with multiple and contradictory experiences, theories, and realities. Dealing with a variety of topics, including feminism, the men’s movement, sexual identity, queer history, and spirituality, the work’s contributors speak from across the spectrum of personal and political backgrounds, academic and practitioner orientations, and male and female perspectives. The combination of voices aims to bring forward a more complex and integrated understanding of what it means to be woman, man, human. “Sarah Nicholson and Vanessa Fisher have put together a fascinating, multilayered look at the interface of Integral Theory and contemporary gender studies. These articles tackle significant issues, raise courageous questions, and further the conversation in valuable ways.” — Sally Kempton, author of Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga