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The sex of angels: analyzing anatomy and the construction of (as if it were) a natural sex

This paper analyzes body representations and social practices related to intersex children and teenagers by contrasting the viewpoints of medical doctors and the patients' relatives. It is based upon two analytical categories: the gendered view of anatomy and the visibility/invisibility of sex. The main arguments suggested here are that sex is as culturally-built as gender, and that the boundaries between the natural and not-natural are easily blurred when it comes to defining what fits and what does not fit social norms.

Intersex; Sex; Gender; Body Representations; Medical Anthropology


Núcleo de Estudos de Gênero - Pagu Universidade Estadual de Campinas, PAGU Cidade Universitária "Zeferino Vaz", Rua Cora Coralina, 100, 13083-896, Campinas - São Paulo - Brasil, Tel.: (55 19) 3521 7873, (55 19) 3521 1704 - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: cadpagu@unicamp.br