Sociology

During the dawn of the new century, the World has experienced a lot of problems and issues. These issues resonate from each and every country and culture and involve different sectors. One particular issue would that of gender. Through the years, the world has been a witness to the various problems, issues and complications of our society todays with regards to gender based topics. Normally, these would include issues like prostitution, sex change, gender discrimination, reproductive health, and other forms of gender related issues. The selected articles in the book Reconstructing Gender by Estelle Disch gives an insight to the different gender related issues occurring in the different countries and different cultures around the world. The articles analyzed gave direct first person experiences regarding their own respective issues and also showed the various efforts done in order to help them.

Masculinities and Mens Health Moving toward Post-Superman Era Prevention
This article by Don Sabo is very important and relevant in todays world. Masculinity is showcased in this article from different angles of the society. Gay, straight, young and old men were represented and studied in a psychological and sociological perspective. It also focused on the different challenges and issues present on both male and female genders. The overall concept of the book was great. Since this is a book leaning towards a masculine point of analysis, it was a good thing that the author didnt left out the female gender in terms of comparison  contrasting purposes. It was also a great concept to incorporate the different perceptions of people regarding masculinity together with their respective role which is personified by the term Superman Era. Furthermore, the article captivates the thought of each era with regards to masculinity and also it gives a chance to further study the mind set of a male person in congruence to the society today. Overall, the article was very informative and has an organized approach.

Reproductive Issues Are Essential Survival Issues for the Asian-American Communities
This article by Connie Chan is gives a good insight on the current status of the Asian-American communities. She addressed the key reproductive issues in health, pregnancy, sex, diseases and various other social issues which proved to be an important facet in the progress of Asian-American communities around in Asia and in the States. Chan also made use of extensive first person information that she obtained in assessing the essential key issues which contribute to the survival of each community. She discussed gender bias and prostitution as one of the top issues aside from reproductive health. The information given by the article was indeed very useful today. It was a good thing also that the setting was leaned towards an Asian community as it gives a new perspective of looking through the issues in another place.

The Womens Peace Movement in Israel
Gila Svirsky is one of the known activists for womens peace movement in Israel. This article which was written by her captivates the unified voice of the Israeli women who wants peace in their country. I was impressed by her though and ideas which was really true and needed to be voiced out. It has been known that Israel has had various conflicts with other countries and never declined to go to war. As a result, social instability progresses and due to this unstable nature, various societies were affected. Svirsky portrayed the unwavering efforts of women activists in Israel to stop their governments efforts to go to war and have an unstable society and economy. These efforts didnt go alone as they were also helped out by other factions. This article portrays the role of women in the society today and how it has changed dramatically over the years. Being in Israel was a good thing as it gives out a perspective of the role of women in a country which undergoes war and instability most of the time.

New Black Man
The New Black Man was written by Mark Neal and it was an attempt to give an explanation and a deeper analysis on the ways of a Black man in todays society. Being a Black man was also related to the various functions that they play in the society and it also dwelled on the premise that Black men play limited roles in todays society in the US. Various reasons were also given why Black men play only a few important roles in the society. It was also compared to the gender in terms of achievements. In my opinion, Neal may have missed out on some critical issues. Neals analysis in the article proved to be an analysis of a person who already has a predetermined mindset about topic. Most of his findings were true but some were left out in the dark. He failed to captivate the real Black man due to his over reliance on his references which were outdated and most of the time biased on race and gender.

Does Silencio  Muerte Notes on Translating the AIDS Epidemic
Rafael Campo did an amazing work in giving an insight to the various factors that affects AIDS as a disease and as a social disease. It is indeed disappointing to hear that other people have lost their family members due to the combination of drugs, violence, AIDS and sex. Campo showcased the different but related societies that suffer these problems. Gender-wise, they also have their own problems manifested by homosexuality, prostitution and sexism aside from AIDS as their main issue. Campo did a great job in translating the effect of AIDS as an epidemic to the Latin and Mexican side of the world. He provided firsthand accounts of experiences and family issues which greatly affect individuals. Various forms of problems were also portrayed and this article indeed contributed largely on the knowledge base with regards to gender problems and AIDS.

To Be Poor and Transgender
Kai Wright gave a great meaning to the article title by obtaining a lot of first person interviews in different cultures and countries with regards to social status and gender. Prostitution, particularly of the transgender types were the main focus of her article. She has depicted the several causes of this issue and she concluded that one of the top issues would be gender dysphasia. In my opinion, Wrights article captured the true essence of the issue in the many places that she went and interviewed transgender people. I think most of the reasons were common nowadays like poverty, lack of education, and discrimination. Lack of solid government support was also a key issue that should be addressed. Furthermore, it was a good experience to be able to read firsthand accounts of gender transformation. Starting from the hormones up to the complete process, Wright was able to get the details of these. Over all, the article was great and it gave a new perspective in analyzing gender which is through the transgenders.