.
Social movements are
collective efforts to challenge and change
- Attitudes
- Roles
- Laws
- Policies
Men’s movements address issues of what manhood means
to seek a better social reality.
The social reality for men today is masculinity
Describing & responding to masculinity is difficult.
Men powerless due to women’s sexual power.
Current male role--a set of contradictory, no-win behaviors, attitudes, & conditions.
Men powerless due to women’s sexual power.
Seeks a return to traditional roles that value men’s contributions
All these specific movements attempt to solve problems of
masculinity.
Began in the 19th century
Reemerged in late 1960s & early 1970s as a response to
the women's movement.
Pro-Masculine Perspectives
The Conservative Perspective
Defends traditional gender roles; essentialist.
Men= Protectors &
Providers
Women=Child bearers &
Caregivers
Socio-Biological Conservatives
Men naturally aggressive,
dominant, & competitive.
For men to become
civilized, women must fulfill traditional roles.
Feminism thus subverts
the natural male role.
The Spiritual Pro-masculinist Perspective
Promise Keepers.
traditional, conservative Christian group.
Exhorts men to support their wives & take responsibility for their families.
Exhorts men to support their wives & take responsibility for their families.
Mythopoetic (e.g. R. Bly)
The mythopoetic men's movement grew as a reaction to the second-wave feminist movement. The mythopoetic men's movement aims to liberate men from the constraints of the modern world which keep them from being in touch with their true masculine nature, and is best known for the rituals that take place during their gatherings. While in the public eye in the early 1990s, the movement carries on more quietly in The ManKind Project and independent psychologico-spiritual practitioners. Mythopoets adopted a general style of psychological self-help inspired by the work of Robert Bly, Robert A. Johnson,Joseph Campbell, and other Jungian authors
The mythopoetic men's movement grew as a reaction to the second-wave feminist movement. The mythopoetic men's movement aims to liberate men from the constraints of the modern world which keep them from being in touch with their true masculine nature, and is best known for the rituals that take place during their gatherings. While in the public eye in the early 1990s, the movement carries on more quietly in The ManKind Project and independent psychologico-spiritual practitioners. Mythopoets adopted a general style of psychological self-help inspired by the work of Robert Bly, Robert A. Johnson,Joseph Campbell, and other Jungian authors
Masculinity created & maintained by
interactions between society & archetypal images.
Often ridiculed in mainstream press.
Often ridiculed in mainstream press.
Main concepts:
Men suffer fragmentation while growing up,
over-emphasizing the “feminine.”
Through male-bonding activities, men find the "wild man" inside.
Often requires a reconciliation (or forgiveness) with the father.
Through male-bonding activities, men find the "wild man" inside.
Often requires a reconciliation (or forgiveness) with the father.
Profeminist Perspectives
Male feminism.
Generally support liberal feminist perspectives.
Accept male domination/patriarchy, maintained
through threat of violence.
Masculinity is a toxic social construction.
Masculinity actually quite fragile.
Consists of contradictory messages.
Maintained through social structures (family,
school, church, sports, media, jobs, etc.).
Anti-Feminist Movement
Anti-Feminist Movement
NOMAS (National Organization For Men Against
Sexism)
Most liberal group.
Seeks to expand awareness of problems of socially
constructed “masculinity.”
Fathering Task Group promotes nurturing of
children.
Also seeks to change homophobic attitudes.
.
The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC)
Seeks end to male violence against women.
Formed by Canadian men in response to the
Montreal Massacre.
Criticized as not going far enough.
