Katrina Karkazis

Katrina Karkazis is an American anthropologist and bioethicist known for her work on gender, sexuality, and bioethics. She currently serves as a professor of Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies at Amherst College, having previously held positions at Brooklyn College and Yale University. Her research focuses on the intersection of science, medicine, and questions of gender and sexuality. A significant portion of her work examines how medical and scientific authorities have approached issues related to intersex conditions, testosterone, and sex testing in sports. Karkazis received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2002, with her thesis exploring controversies surrounding intersexuality. Her academic contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016. Throughout her career, she has been a vocal contributor to debates about sex verification in sports and has authored several influential books, including "Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience" and "Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography," which critically examine medical practices and scientific assumptions about sex, gender, and hormones.

Readers appreciate Karkazis's research depth and accessibility in explaining complex topics around sex, gender, and athletics. Her book "Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography" receives credit for debunking myths while remaining readable for non-scientists. Readers highlight her balanced approach to controversial subjects, though some note her clear advocacy positions. Several reviews mention the thoroughness of her interview work and historical research. Common criticisms include: - Too much focus on policy/regulation details - Academic writing style can be dense in sections - Some readers wanted more scientific/medical content Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: - Testosterone: 4.2/5 (89 ratings) - Fixing Sex: 4.1/5 (106 ratings) Amazon: - Testosterone: 4.4/5 (31 ratings) - Fixing Sex: 4.5/5 (14 ratings) One reader noted: "Manages to be both scholarly and engaging - no small feat given the technical subject matter."

Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience (2008) An ethnographic examination of how medical professionals and parents make decisions about intersex children's bodies, based on extensive interviews and field research.

Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography (2019) A scientific analysis of testosterone's social and biological effects, challenging common assumptions about the hormone's role in behavior and physical characteristics.

Anne Fausto-Sterling writes about biology, gender, and sexuality from a scientific perspective that challenges established assumptions. Her work on sex and gender development in "Sexing the Body" examines how cultural beliefs influence scientific understanding of biological sex.

Alice Dreger investigates the history of medicine's approach to atypical bodies and intersex conditions. Her book "Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex" traces medical treatment of intersex people from the late nineteenth century to present day.

Rebecca Jordan-Young analyzes scientific research on sex, gender, and sexuality through a critical lens. Her work "Brain Storm" examines the evidence behind claims about brain organization theory and hormone effects on behavior.

Sarah Richardson focuses on gender in science and the history of scientific research about sex differences. Her book "Sex Itself" examines how gender ideologies have shaped genetic theories about sex chromosomes.

Jennifer Terry studies the history of sexuality, medicine, and scientific research on gender. Her work explores how medical and scientific institutions have approached questions of sexual difference and gender variance across time.