Dr. Lu Ciccia Presents Her Book "The Invention of Sex" In Valparaíso

Last Tuesday, April 4, the outstanding Argentine scientific and writer Lu Ciccia launched and presented her book The Invention of Sex at the FCE Manuel Rojas bookstore on Paseo Yugoslavo, Valparaíso.

The activity was co-organized by the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Theory and Subjectivity, the Universidad de Valparaíso, Fondecyt 11220123 “Engineering Culture and interdisciplinary approach” and the Anillo "Dissonances: Community, University and Feminist Irruption" project, where Dr. Andrea Vera Gajardo — our director — presented the work with an emotional opening speech.

Dr. Lelya Troncoso and María Angélica Cruz — academic of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Universidad de Valparaíso— also attended to this event to comment on the book together with the author.

"Lu's work is a multiple invitation", said Dr. Andrea Vera in her emotional opening speech. "The author encourages, without a doubt, to read about things that we may not yet understand. However, it is above all a call for a revolutionary reading of bodies as matter and discourse", she added.

The Invention of Sex problematizes cultural constructions, sexual dimorphism and the common link between brains, sexes and behaviors with an interdisciplinary perspective, demystifying the supposed biological differences between men and women in relation to gender roles.

"The book that summons us today reaffirmed my commitment to critical feminist perspectives and critical social psychology that taught me to be suspicious of all biological fundamentalism with its essentialisms and absolutisms, since they ignore the complexity of the situated dimension of all social reality", said Dr. Lelya Troncoso, who is also a member of the research team of the Disonancias Project.

On the other hand, in the same instance, Lu Ciccia thanked the words and reflections of the researchers, as well as the invitation extended by Dr. Andrea Vera to present her work in Ciudad Puerto: "To finish the meeting, I would like to take notes of the comments made by our colleagues. There is no valid or unique narrative from any type of scientific discipline, even if we admit that there are certain intersubjective consensuses that enable the globalization of knowledge".