Misframing Men: The Politics of Contemporary Masculinities

Sociology professor Kimmel (Guyland) is one of the co-founders of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism. In this collection of essays, he looks at "missteps on the way to redefining manhood" and dismisses "increasingly shrill assertions" of psycho-biological "Mars/Venus" differences between the genders. He not only examines the post-9/11 reassertion of "heroic and unapologetic masculinity," but also the aggressiveness of Bush-era foreign policy and financial rapacity. He deconstructs claims that women are driving males out of classrooms, attributing the differences in enrollment to class and race (college-bound whites, for instance, are split 50-50 along gender lines, but the ratio among blacks is approximately two to one). Kimmel sees trends both positive (in families where both parents work, men are increasingly taking on more responsibility and enjoying a closer relationship with their children) and negative (men express their newfound insecurity with homophobic jokes, for instance). Though he makes no effort to hide his own progressive politics, Kimmel offers an insightful, balanced view of the problems behind "me Tarzan, you Jane." (June)