Trans people have always lived in the cracks of institutions--and the university is no exception. In How We Make Each Other, Perry Zurn tells the...

Trans people have always lived in the cracks of institutions--and the university is no exception. In How We Make Each Other, Perry Zurn tells the stories of how trans people make and live their lives at the edges of the university in ways that sometimes lead to policy change but always leave participants and institutions different than they were before. Using the Five Colleges in Massachusetts as a case study, Zurn notes that Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, have been at the forefront of developing trans-inclusive policies in higher education, often in response to student organizing. Zurn focuses on the stories of trans students, staff, faculty, and community members within and alongside these institutions, exploring how they have built themselves and each other. Drawing on official archives as well as over 100 interviews, Zurn shows how trans people in the Five Colleges have made history, forged resistance habits, and cultivated hope.

Author: Perry Zurn
Publisher: Duke University Press
Published: 01/07/2025
Pages: 328
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.43lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781478028062


Review Citation(s):
Choice 07/01/2025

About the Author
Perry Zurn is Visiting Associate Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University, Provost Associate Professor of Philosophy at American University, author of Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry, coauthor of Curious Minds: The Power of Connection, and coeditor of Trans Philosophy.