Local surveys inform new book on Guyana women Stabroek News April 22, 2000 A book written by Guyanese Alissa Trotz and Canadian Linda Peake that examines gender, ethnicity and women in Guyana was launched at the Hotel Tower on Monday. The book "Gender, Ethnicity and Place: Women and Identities in Guyana" seeks to analyse how the reproduction of racialised identities relies on gendered practices and representations; to show the heterogeneous and overlapping experiences of groups considered separate; to explore how discourses on ethnicity involve silence around inequalities such as gender, sexuality and class that women may share across such divisions; and to examine the conditions under which women may become the sites of a critical femininity. The study covers both historical and contemporary periods. Surveys were conducted in the three communities of Linden, Albouystown and Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara and the interviews were conducted by members of the Red Thread Women's organisation. The women chosen to conduct the interviews were given three weeks of training in the basics of social science research, interviewing techniques and questionnaire design. Both women and men were interviewed during the survey. Copies of the book which are currently available only in limited hardcover editions were presented to several organisations. Those organisations receiving copies of the book include the National Library, the Women's Affairs Bureau, the University of Guyana library, the National Commission on Women and CAFRA. Paperback copies of the book are expected to be available later this year.