Whereas many of the men of Reagan's '80s seemed stereotypically hypermasculine, a host of '90s images suggest a new phase of more sensitive manhood. In the Clinton era, both academic and popular writers suggested that a «crisis of masculinity» had taken root - one that had men questioning traditional male ideas and seeking new identities. This book explores the conflicted ways in which this seemingly new climate of masculinity was negotiated. From Bill Clinton to The Promise Keepers and Titanic to Friends, a host of '90s heroes put this rhetoric of crisis to work to win elections, audience members, and ratings.

What is social reality for men in modern society? What maintains or explains this social reality? What condition might we imagine that would be better for men? How might we achieve this better condition? These are the questions Kenneth Clatterbaugh brings to seven different visions of men in modern society considered in this newly updated edition. In clear and insightful language, Clatterbaugh surveys not just conservative, liberal, and radical views of masculinity, but also the alternatives offered by the men's rights movement, spiritual growth advocates, and black and gay rights activists. Each of these is explored both as a theoretical perspective and as a social movement, and each offers distinctive responses to the questions posed.The first edition of this book was the first to survey the range of responses to feminism that men have made as well as the first to put political theory at the center of men's awareness of their own masculinity. This new edition adds chapters on recent highly-publicized movements such at the Promise Keepers, Million Man March, and the evolution of gay men's rights. Clatterbaugh treats all views with fairness and timeliness as he develops and defends a vision of men and masculinity consistent with feminist ideals and a just society.

* What is 'masculinity'? Is 'masculinities' a more appropriate term? * How are masculinities socially, culturally and historically shaped? * How are particular masculinities created, enacted and represented in specific settings? * How can masculinities best be researched and theorized? Masculinities and Culture explores how 'masculinities', or ways of 'being a man', are anchored in time and place; the products of socio-historical and cultural circumstances. It examines the emergence of a masculinity fit for Empire in the mid to late nineteenth century and, by way of contrast, the more recent media-driven, commercial New Man and New Lad masculinity. The author considers some of the media discourses shaping masculinities today, and the formation of specific masculinities in specific settings (such as prisons, hospitals and schools) which both define, and in turn are defined by, strongly held conceptions of acceptable masculine behaviour. He concludes by reviewing a range of ways in which masculinities might be researched, from fieldwork and auto/biographical and life history approaches through to semiotics and the use of both film and literary texts. This lively text provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary debates concerning masculinities as gendered constructions, along with the means of researching and theorizing them.

From AskMen senior editor and non-binary writer Alex Manley comes The New Masculinity: A Roadmap for a 21st-Century Definition of Manhood, a guide for escaping the shackles of toxic masculinity, unlearning what it means to be a man, and pushing back against the various ways masculinity teaches people to hurt rather than help, and to harm rather than heal. Manley charts a course for a wholly new future of the self that’s neither particularly manly nor particularly masculine, but responsive, invested, and caring. Having written and edited for a men’s website for seven and a half years, Manley has seen up close how angry, scared, and lonely men are, and how entrenched in a culture war they feel. This book is a guide for unlearning the habits that perpetuate that harm. There are an infinite number of ways to be a person, but to access them fully, men first need to unlearn the restrictions of modern gender roles and the ways society has taught them to shave parts of themselves off until their masculinity comes before their humanity.

What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be manly? How has our notion of masculinity changed over the years? In this book, noted historian George L. Mosse provides the first historical account of the masculine stereotype in modern Western culture, tracing the evolution of the idea of manliness to reveal how it came to embody physical beauty, courage, moral restraint, and a strong will. This stereotype, he finds, originated in the tumultuous changes of the eighteenth century, as Europe's dominant aristocrats grudgingly yielded to the rise of the professional, bureaucratic, and commercial middle classes. Mosse reveals how the new bourgeoisie, faced with a bewildering, rapidly industrialized world, latched onto the knightly ideal of chivalry. He also shows how the rise of universal conscription created a "soldierly man" as an ideal type. In bringing his examination up to the present, Mosse studies the key historical roles of the so-called "fairer sex" (women) and "unmanly men" (Jews and homosexuals) in defining and maintaining the male stereotype, and considers the possible erosion of that stereotype in our own time.

COLLEGE MEN AND MASCULINITIES is a comprehensive handbook that offers a compilation of the best classic and contemporary research on male students in higher education. The editors, Shaun R. Harper and Frank Harris III two experts in the field of men and masculinities frame each of the six sections of the book with a summary of issues and implications for educational practice. Each section also includes a wealth of forward-thinking strategies and suggestions that faculty and institutional leaders can creatively employ on their campuses to reverse problematic trends and outcomes among male undergraduates. With contributions from leading scholars in education, sociology, psychology, and other disciplines, College Men and Masculinities explores the following issues in depth: Identity development and gender socialization Sexualities and sexual orientations Destructive behaviors (judicial offenses, alcohol abuse, and violence) Health and wellness College men of color College men and sports This vital resource will help educators and administrators address the alarming trends and issues that arise from identity-related challenges among boys and college men. "What a valuable resource! This book includes some of the most influential research and theory on all aspects of collegiate masculinity from sports to spirituality, hazing to hook-ups, and alcohol to assault. Always sensitive to how different groups of men experience college life, Harper and Harris's book will surely become the touchstone text for those who work with or study college men." Michael Kimmel, author of Manhood in America and professor of sociology, Stony Brook University "Essential reading for all who care about gender equity, this book advances the conversation about men in college at the critical nexus of identity development, culture, and relationship, enabling faculty and student affairs administrators to build more thoughtful and challenging educational environments for men from diverse populations." Susan Marine, Women's Center director and assistant dean for student life, Harvard University This book offers educators and administrators much-needed guidance for understanding and effectively meeting the developmental, academic, and social needs of undergraduate men." Chauncey Smith, undergraduate student leader, Morehouse College

“A wonderful book for thinking about how to release ourselves from crippling processes. It's time for men—and for all of us—to stand up and say, ‘Give us back our full humanity, give us back our dignity.'” —Paul Gilbert, PhD, author of The Compassionate Mind In a recent FiveThirtyEight poll, 60 percent of men surveyed said society puts pressure on men to behave in a way that is unhealthy or bad. Men account for 80 percent of suicides in the United States, and three in ten American men have suffered from depression. Ed Adams and Ed Frauenheim say a big part of the problem is a model of masculinity that's become outmoded and even dangerous, to both men and women. The conventional notion of what it means to be a man—what Adams and Frauenheim call “Confined Masculinity”—traps men in an emotional straitjacket; steers them toward selfishness, misogyny, and violence; and severely limits their possibilities. As an antidote, they propose a new paradigm: Liberating Masculinity. It builds on traditional masculine roles like the protector and provider, expanding men's options to include caring, collaboration, emotional expressivity, an inclusive spirit, and environmental stewardship. Through hopeful stories of men who have freed themselves from the strictures of Confined Masculinity, interviews with both leaders and everyday men, and practical exercises, this book shows the power of a masculinity defined by what the authors call the five Cs: curiosity, courage, compassion, connection, and commitment. Men will discover a way of being that fosters healthy, harmonious relationships at home, at work, and in the world.

Many societies assign sharply distinguished roles to men and women. Personality differences, as well as physical differences, between men and women are used to justify these different sex roles, and women are seen as more emotionally and interpersonally sensitive than men, while men are said to be more competent, achievement oriented, and assertive than women. A widely held view is that not only do men and women differ but that possession of "masculine" characteristics precludes possession of "feminine" characteristics. This bipolar conception has led to the definition of masculinity and femininity as opposites. Acceptance of this idea has caused social scientists and laypersons to consider men and women who possess cross-sex personality characteristics as less emotionally healthy and socially adjusted than those with sex-appropriate traits. Previous research by the authors and others, done almost exclusively with college students, has shown, however, that masculinity and femininity do not relate negatively to each other, thus supporting a dualistic rather than a bipolar conception of these two psychological dimensions. Spence and Helmreich present data showing that the dualistic conception holds for a large number of groups, varying widely in age, geographical location, socioeconomic status, and patterns of interest, whose psychological masculinity and femininity were measured with an objective instrument, the Personality Attributes Questionnaire, devised by the authors. Many individuals are shown to be appropriately sex-typed; that is, men tend to be high in masculinity and low in femininity and women the reverse. However, a substantial number of men and women are androgynous—high in both masculine and feminine characteristics—while some are not high in either. Importantly, the authors find that androgynous individuals display more self-esteem, social competence, and achievement orientation than individuals who are strong in either masculinity or femininity or are not strong in either. One of the major contributions of the work is the development of a new, multifaceted measure of achievement motivation (the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire), which can be used successfully to predict behavior in both males and females and is related to masculinity and femininity in both sexes. In addition to investigating the correlates of masculinity and femininity, the authors attempt to isolate parental factors that contribute to the development of these characteristics and achievement motivation. The book includes analyses of data from students on their perception of their parents, which enable the authors to examine the influence of parental masculinity and femininity and parental behaviors and child-rearing attitudes on the development of masculinity and femininity and achievement motivation characteristics in their children. The important implications of these findings for theories of sex roles, personality development, and achievement motivation are examined.

New essays look at masculinity and violence, research on differences between men's and women's brains, impotence, sexual ambiguity, and whether black men have a moral duty to marry black women.