Deconstructing Men & Masculinities

Michael Atkinson

Themes in Canadian Sociology

Canadian. This indigenous text is the only one of its kind dealing with masculine identity issues in Canada.
New perspectives on masculinity. Offers new and alternative insight into such topics as 'feminine', 'liquid', 'uber', and racialized masculinities.
Historical and contemporary coverage. Examines the historical roots of masculinity and masculine identity in Canada up to the present day and attempts to anticipate what lies beyond the so-called masculinity crisis.
Engrossing and intensely personal narrative. Written in a unique mix of academic and narrative styles, this distinct, cutting-edge text will engage students as they study issues and arguments and then connect them with real-life stories.
Wide-ranging ethnographic research. Excerpts from the author's extensive collection of interviews with men of all ages and from all walks of life offer students a diverse look at masculinity issues in Canada.
Current. Drawing heavily on pop culture and the latest theories, this concise text takes a contemporary sociological approach to masculine identity politics in Canada.
Student-friendly pedagogy. In addition to an end-of-text glossary, boxed features throughout the text highlight important information, such as stats, current events, and real-life stories. A list of objectives, key terms bolded at first use, chapter summaries, discussion questions, annotated key readings, and weblinks support student learning.

Deconstructing Men & Masculinities

Michael Atkinson

Description

This comprehensive introduction to masculine identity politics in Canada offers a range of viewpoints, narratives, and evidence about the contested nature of masculinity. Drawing primarily on author Michael Atkinson's ethnographic research of Canadian men over the past decade, the text explores the idea of masculinity in crisis and the attempt by many men to move beyond this perceived crossroads. Atkinson reviews the historical links between masculinity and social power, the cultural associations between masculinity and violence, the role of masculinity in sports cultures, the problems of masculinity for young men, the mass mediation of masculinity and misandry, and the rise of alternative and 'feminine' masculinities. Never before have men's social roles, statuses, and identities been so open to cultural critique and redefinition; Deconstructing Men and Masculinities provides an engaging sociological narrative to guide readers through this ground-breaking area of study.

Deconstructing Men & Masculinities

Michael Atkinson

Themes in Canadian Sociology

Preface
Introduction: Masculinity in Crisis?
What? A Masculinity Crisis? Really?
Defining the Crisis
Perceiving the Crisis
Summary
1:Men, Power, and Pastiche Hegemony
Chapter Objectives
Knowing Masculinity and Social Power
The Root of It All: Hegemony, Late Modernity, and Fear
Late modernity, implosion, and crisis
Summary
2:Violence, Residue, and Pastiche Hegemony
Chapter Objectives
Masculinity, Violence, and Moral Panicking: The Usual Suspects
Violence, men, and media panics
Spectacle, Self-Violence, and Crisis Subjectivities: Project Mayhem
I. Backyard Wrestling
II. Laddism
III. Bugchasing
IV. Ultra-Endurance Running
Summary
3:The Lost (and Found) Boys
Chapter Objectives
Finding Boys through Straightedge
Crisis, Callings, and Boyhood Masculinities
Doing the Straightedge Vocation
Summary
4:Male Femininities, Metrosexualities, and Liquid Ubersexualities
Chapter Objectives
Real Men Disappearing in a Risk Society
Male Femininity
Liquid Ubersexuality
Ubersexuality and Body Supplementation
Summary
5:Sporting Masculinities
Chapter Objectives
Case Studies in Residual Patriarchy
I. Sexual Assault
II. Hazing
Summary
6:Mass-Mediating Risk Masculinities
Chapter Objectives
Three Faces of Televised Masculinity
I. Unapologetic Men: Take Off, You Hoser
II. On the Margins: Boys and Men at Risk
III. Boys in Crisis: Atavism as Spectacle
Summary
7:The Unbearable Whiteness of Being
Chapter Objectives
Physical Cultural [Whiteness] Studies
Postcolonialism and Whiteness Studies
From Libertarianism to Transhumanism
The Triumph of the Object-Body
No More Mr. White Guy: Humanity+ in Popular Culture
Summary
Epilogue

Deconstructing Men & Masculinities

Michael Atkinson

Themes in Canadian Sociology

Author Information

Michael Atkinson, Associate Professor, Faculty of Physical Education and Health, University of Toronto, Canadian

Deconstructing Men & Masculinities

Michael Atkinson

Themes in Canadian Sociology

Reviews and Awards

"Deconstructing Men & Masculinities is a book with tremendous potential from a highly respected scholar." - Jeffrey Montez de Oca, Histoire sociale Vol. XLV No. 90