Reviewing Masculinities

Résumé du livre

As a subfield within Gender Studies, Masculinity Studies has identified and interrogated ideas about masculinity and the lives of different groups of men since the late 1970s. From its earliest incarnation within the Social Psychology of Sex Roles to its present sub-fields in history, sociology, anthropology, as well as psychology, the study of masculinity is now replete with conferences, book series, at least four encyclopedias, handbooks, as well as several scholarly journals.

Michael Kimmel has been a central figure in the founding and development of Masculinity Studies. Kimmel was the editor of one of the field’s first interdisciplinary anthologies (Changing Men: New Directions in the Study of Masculinity, Sage, 1987), followed by co-editing the first college-level textbook, anthology (Men’s Lives, 10 editions, Pearson), the Sage Series on Men and Masculinities (10 volumes, Sage), which culminated in the Handbook on Studies of Men and Masculinities.

Since 1980, Kimmel has also been a prolific book reviewer of books in the field as it developed, with more than 60 reviews of books about men and masculinities. Over the course of nearly five decades, these reviews trace the development of the field itself, from the early identification of “men” as a category of analysis and a subject worthy of inquiry, to discussions of different groups of men (the idea of multiple “masculinities” organized by race, class, religion, age, sexuality) , to men in different situations, institutions, and circumstances.

This unique collection, brought together for the first time, charts the development of the field of Masculinity Studies since its inception as a concept. It is a vital addition to any scholarly library which supports research and study of sociology, social history, culture, and gender studies.