Men, Masculinities and Social Theory (RLE Social Theory) (Routledge Library Editions: Social Theory)

This volume presents a series of illustrative and critical perspectives upon the developing study of men and masculinities and its importance for sociological theory. The contributions, by women and men from Britain and the United States, are organized around the unifying themes of Power and Domination; Sexuality; Identity and Perception. Feminism has raised profound questions for the social sciences, for sociological theory and for the study of men. The contributors to this volume discuss how such questions can be addressed. They demonstrate the range of theoretical traditions that can be brought to bear on the study of men, and underline the importance of understanding ‘masculinities'in the plural. In a concluding section, three different views upon the controversy surrounding ‘Men's Studies'are presented. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Original Title Page 6 Original Copyright Page 7 Table of Contents 8 Series Editor's Preface 10 Acknowledgements 12 1 Men, masculinities and social theory 14 Part 1 Power and Domination 32 2 Men, power and the exploitation of women 34 3 Patriarchy and fratriarchy as forms of androcracy 56 4 Racism, black masculinity and the politics of space 68 5 Men's power in organizations: 'equal opportunities' intervenes 85 Part 2 Sexualities 104 6 After fifteen years: the impact of the sociology of masculinity on the masculinity of sociology 106 7 Beyond sex and gender: masculinity, homosexuality and social theory 123 8 Pornography and the alienation of male sexuality 137 Part 3 Identity and Perception 154 9 The significance of gender politics in men's accounts of their 'gender identity' 156 10 Masculinity, identification, and political culture 173 11 Male perception as social construct 183 12 Doing masculinity/doing theory 199 Part 4 Commentaries 214 13 The critique of men 216 14 The new men's studies: part of the problem or part of the solution? 219 15 Men, feminism and power 228 Bibliography 242 Author Index 259 Subject Index 264 Timely and original, this collection of essays from the leading figures in their fields throws new and valuable light on the significance and future of flânerie. The flâneur is usually identified as the 'man of the crowd' of Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Baudelaire, and as one of the heroes of Walter Benjamin's Arcades Project. The flâneur's activities of strolling and loitering are mentioned increasingly frequently in sociology, cultural studies and art history, but rarely is the debate developed further. The Flâneur is the first book to develop the debate beyond Baudelaire and Benjamin This volume provides a fascinating perspective on the social sciences through its examination of the leading proponents, their ideas and careers. It includes useful suggestions for further reading. All the great names in the history of the subject are here - Freud, Marx, Weber, Adam Smith and so on - along with many less prominent but nevertheless important thinkers. This series aims to promote critical studies, by women and men, on men and masculinities. It deals in detail with the social and political construction of particular aspects of men and masculinities, including studies of their changing forms