"In a world where gender issues are increasingly in the spotlight (for example, in the recent past, see debates in the media around violence against women during the trial of athlete Oscar Pistorius and cases of rape in India and discussions on same-sex marriage in some countries with the simultaneous tightening of laws on homosexuality in places such as Russia and Uganda), this updated version of Raewyn Connell s book Gender, is an important contribution." Gender and Development " Gender is for sure the best short introduction to the complex field of gender studies. Raewyn Connell's decades of passionate intellectual engagement as a teacher, cutting-edge scholar and advocate of a perspective from the global south make her books a lively, accessible and a compelling read." Paula-Irene Villa, University of Munich "Raewyn Connell has established herself as among the foremost thinkers of gender. Her work on masculinities has been at the center of scholarly and public debate for the last two decades. Connell's blend of theory and empirical research, and her global vantage point, is virtually unique among scholars. Gender is a gift to both students and professors who want a succinct and clear, but also thoughtful and provocative, overview of the current state of gender thinking and politics." Steven Seidman, University at Albany