Friends, Diversity and Morality

Three new books cite my work on otherness, as well as my research on gender and sexuality. These works cover friendships, diversity and inclusion, and morality.

My work on the sociology of otherness is featured in two books. First, Sandra Mayes Unger, ‘Tribe: Why Do All Our Friends Look Just Like Us?’

Sociologist Zuleyka Zevallos argues that “otherness” is “central to sociological analyses of how majority and minority identites are constructed… Identities are often thought of as being natural or innate – something that we are born with – but sociologists highlight that this taken-for-graned view is not ture.’ Rather, identity construction in a society is controlled by whoever is in power. If your tribe or culture is different than the tribe or culture of those with power, you are the Other.

Second, Alexander Brown‘s chapter, “Transgendered G*d as Diversity and Inclusion” in “Postcolonial Images of Spiritual Care: Challenges of Care in a Neoliberal Age.”

The idea of “other” is explained by Zuleyka Zevallos, who writes, “the idea of ‘otherness’ is central to sociological analyses of how majority and minority identities are constructed.” (p.88)

Third, Alena Rada cites my work on the sociology of gender and sexuality, in Imposed Morality:

The only other experts I wish to mention here is Dr Zuleyka Zevallos, an Australian applied sociologist of Latin background, who manages a national gender equity program for universities and science organisations and blogs about social justice, and specialises in analysing issues of gender and sexuality, culture, discrimination and diversity in the workplace, social media, as well as environmental health and safety area… Zevallos had written a comprehensible paper called “Sociology of Gender & Sexuality” (2012) which I used as one of my resources.

As an anthropologist, and a sort of sociologist, I agree with Zevallos that our understandings and perception of differences between masculinity (what society deems appropriate behaviour for a “man”) and femininity (what society deems appropriate behaviour for a “woman”) can be best explained by sociology.