Different, Frans de Waal
Different, Frans de Waal
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Different
Gender and Our Primate Heritage

Author: Frans de Waal

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Unabridged: 12 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 04/05/2022


Synopsis

In Different, world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on decades of observation and studies of both human and animal behavior to argue that despite the linkage between gender and biological sex, biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. While humans and other primates do share some behavioral differences, biology offers no justification for existing gender inequalities.

Using chimpanzees and bonobos to illustrate this point—two ape relatives that are genetically equally close to humans—de Waal challenges widely held beliefs about masculinity and femininity, and common assumptions about authority, leadership, cooperation, competition, filial bonds, and sexual behavior. Chimpanzees are male-dominated and violent, while bonobos are female-dominated and peaceful. In both species, political power needs to be distinguished from physical dominance. Power is not limited to the males, and both sexes show true leadership capacities.

Different is a fresh and thought-provoking approach to the long-running debate about the balance between nature and nurture, and where sex and gender roles fit in. De Waal peppers his discussion with details from his own life—a Dutch childhood in a family of six boys, his marriage to a French woman with a different orientation toward gender, and decades of academic turf wars over outdated scientific theories that have proven hard to dislodge from public discourse. He discusses sexual orientation, gender identity, and the limitations of the gender binary, exceptions to which are also found in other primates.

With humor, clarity, and compassion, Different seeks to broaden the conversation about human gender dynamics by promoting an inclusive model that embraces differences, rather than negating them.

Cover painting © 2022 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

About Frans de Waal

Frans de Waal, Ph.D., is a biologist and ethologist, world-renowned for his work on the social intelligence of primates such as chimpanzees, bonobos, capuchins, and macaques. He is credited with the discovery of reconciliation in chimpanzees, and he is the founder of the field of conflict resolution research in animals. He was the first scientist to show that apes resolve conflicts, cooperate, and console one another. He is the author of eight books, including The Ape and the Sushi Master, a New York Times Notable Book, and Peacemaking Among Primates, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award. De Waal is currently the C. H. Candler Professor in the psychology department of Emory University and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes Primate Center in Atlanta, Georgia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dan

I was more than a little disappointed in this book. De Waal, who has written numerous books on primate behavior, comes to this one with a simple thesis: that there are stable differences in behavior between male and female primates. Therefore, to the extent that we observe similar differences betwee......more

Goodreads review by Ryan

In this review, I’ll make the case that this is the ideal book to learn about the controversial topic of gender differences. But before we get to this, it’s necessary to spell out the crucial distinction between sex and gender. Let’s start with sex. Sex is more straightforward and is driven by biolog......more

Goodreads review by Allie

I was very disappointed in this book after reading de Waal’s “Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?” That one was very thoughtful, seemed very well researched, and I was impressed with de Waal and looked forward to this one, but this one was a letdown. It is, like the other book, full of......more

Goodreads review by Andrea

In general I enjoyed this book and appreciated de Waal's expertise and perspective. However, while his knowledge about sex and gender differences among many animals (mostly primates) is unquestionable, his background on the socialization side is much weaker, and it leads him into making mistakes he......more

Goodreads review by David

It is always a pleasure to read Frans de Waal. He is ever entertaining while being rigorous, thorough and neutral. If there is any ulterior motive or bias, it is to be fair. So with the timely Different, his new book on the differences between the sexes. Neurologically, biologically, and culturally,......more