Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2016 -

Based on the author's dissertation, this book explores the history of sex/gender testing in the Olympics and other elite sporting competitions. Pieper (sport management, Lynchburg College) does an exceptional job of detailing the history and methods of sex/gender testing and of connecting the phenomenon to larger sociological issues about appropriate physical activity for women. Particularly strong is Pieper's explanation of both the stated and hidden purposes of testing: she shows how testing sought to construct and reaffirm an ideology based on white, Western gender ideals. Also excellent is her discussion of nationalism, race, and geopolitics, a discussion that illustrates the impact of the beliefs and fears of various eras and locations. Expanding on several familiar themes, Pieper shows how these tests continued the idea of male physical superiority and illuminates women's continued secondary status in elite competitions. In writing this layered, extensively researched book, the author delved into several archival collections, and every chapter includes excellent examples supporting the argument and illustrating the impossibility of delineating sex as a simple binary. Organized both chronologically and topically, this complete history of sex/gender testing makes a valuable contribution to the field of sport history.Summing Up: Essential. All readers.