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Understanding Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality: A Conceptual Framework. Lynn Weber. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. 2001. 224 pages. $35.95.
When I first received Weber's book and before I had read it, I was reminded of a documentary I had recently seen on television on the history of popular music. The narrator was discussing the music of the sixties and was describing the influence that Dylan had on the Beatles and how both influenced the Beach Boys and so on. As the narrator spoke, I found myself wondering, where were Waters, Berry, and Brown in this discussion? Eventually, almost as an afterthought, some of the famous early African American blues, rock, and soul artists were interjected into the program. I was frustrated and disappointed that the writers had not been able to organize the program in a way that adequately illustrated the complex tapestry of influence in popular music. I had expected that a book that tried to analyze race, class, gender and sexuality simultaneously would surely run into the same problems as that television program about the history of popular music. Perhaps it would present a nice discussion of the intersection of gender and race with clas and sexuality awkwardly interjected here and there to cover all bases. I was pleasantly surprised when I finally read it.
Weber not only addresses the more common theme of the intersection of race, class, and gender, but she also includes sexuality as a major system of oppression. The book is divided into three main sections. The first section provides an overview of basic concepts and ideas. In chapter one, Weber presents a discussion of major terms and ideas as a foundation for her analysis. Chapter two provides a series of historical time lines designed to give students a basic understanding of how deeply oppression is rooted in American society and what impact has been made by those who contest these systems...