Men, Masculinities and Religious Change in Twentieth-Century Britain (Genders and Sexualities in History)

This path-breaking multi-faith, multi-disciplinary collection explores the impact of religion on the formation of men and masculinities in twentieth-century Britain. Contributions engage with the major religious denominations including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, New Religious Movements and no-religionism, and combine methodological insights from the history of religion and masculinity studies with theology, psychology, film studies, cultural theory and sociology. Religion is explored well beyond the traditional boundaries of church worship and institutional structures to encompass the diverse cultures of male sexuality, home life, war, work, immigration, leisure and sectarian politics. Issues of change, such as the decline of single-sex associational settings, the theological shifts and changing fortunes of sects, the varying visibility of queer and homosexual cultures, and the shifting boundaries and collapsing distinctions between clergy and laypeople are explored in depth. This volume presents cutting-edge perspectives on dominant accounts of masculinity, secularisation and modernity, and suggests a significant rethinking of the narrative turning-points in modern British religious history and the history of masculinities. Introduction : Men, Masculinities And Religious Change In Post-christian Britain / Lucy Delap And Sue Morgan -- Buddhist Psychologies And Masculinity In Early Twentieth-century Britain / Alison Falby -- 'the People Of God Dressed For Dinner And Dancing'? English Catholic Masculinity, Religious Sociability And The Catenian Association / Alana Harris -- 'to Their Credit As Jews And Englishmen': Services For Youth And The Shaping Of Jewish Masculinity In Britain, 1890s-1930s / Susan L. Tananbaum -- 'be Strong And Play The Man': Anglican Masculinities In The Twentieth Century / Lucy Delap -- The Emergence Of A British Hindu Identity Between 1936 And 1937 / Sumita Mukherjee -- 'iron Strength And Infinite Tenderness' : Herbert Gray And The Making Of Christian Masculinities At War And At Home, 1900-40' / Sue Morgan -- Moral Welfare And Social Wellbeing: The Church Of England And The Emergence Of Modern Homosexuality / Timothy W. Jones -- Why Examine Men, Masculinities And Religion In Northern Ireland? / Sean Brady -- British Pakistani Masculinities: Longing And Belonging / Amanullah De Sondy -- 'laboratories' Of Gender? Masculinities, Spirituality And New Religious Movements In Late Twentieth-century Britain / Stephen Hunt -- Men Losing Faith: The Making Of Modern No-religionism In The Uk, 1939-2010 / Callum G. Brown Edited By Lucy Delap, Reader In Twentieth Century British History, King's College London And Sue Morgan, Professor Of Women's And Gender History, University Of Chichester. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgements 11 Notes on Contributors 12 Introduction: Men, Masculinities and Religious Change in Post-Christian Britain 16 1 Buddhist Psychologies and Masculinity in Early Twentieth-Century Britain 45 2 'The People of God Dressed for Dinner and Dancing'? English Catholic Masculinity, Religious Sociability and the Catenian Association 69 3 'To Their Credit as Jews and Englishmen': Services for Youth and the Shaping of Jewish Masculinity in Britain, 1890s–1930s 105 4 'Be Strong and Play the Man': Anglican Masculinities in the Twentieth Century 134 5 The Emergence of a British Hindu Identity between 1936 and 1937 161 6 'Iron Strength and Infinite Tenderness': Herbert Gray and the Making of Christian Masculinities at War and at Home, 1900–40 183 7 Moral Welfare and Social Well-Being: The Church of England and the Emergence of Modern Homosexuality 212 8 Why Examine Men, Masculinities and Religion in Northern Ireland? 233 9 British Pakistani Masculinities: Longing and Belonging 267 10 'Laboratories' of Gender? Masculinities, Spirituality and New Religious Movements in Late Twentieth-Century Britain 294 11 Men Losing Faith: The Making of Modern No Religionism in the UK, 1939–2010 316 Select Bibliography 341 Index 342 Charting the growing religious pluralism of British society, this book investigates the diverse formations of masculinity within and across specific religions, regions and immigrant communities. Contributors look beyond conventional realms of worship to examine men's diverse religious cultures in a variety of contexts.