Affective Health and Masculinities in South Africa explores how different masculinities modulate substance use, interpersonal violence, suicidality, and AIDS as well as recovery cross-culturally. With a focus on three male protagonists living in very distinct urban areas of Cape Town, this comparative ethnography shows that men's struggles to become invulnerable increase vulnerability. Through an analysis of masculinities as social assemblages, the study shows how affective health problems are tied to modern individualism rather than African 'tradition' that has become a cliche in Eurocentric gender studies. Affective health is conceptualized as a balancing act between autonomy and connectivity that after colonialism and apartheid has become compromised through the imperative of self-reliance. This book provides a rare perspective on young men's vulnerability in everyday life that may affect the reader and spark discussion about how masculinities in relationships shape physical and psychological health. Moreover, it shows how men change in the face of distress in ways that may look different than global health and gender-transformative approaches envision. Thick descriptions of actual events over the life course make the study accessible to both graduate and undergraduate students in the social sciences. Contributing to current debates on mental health and masculinity, this volume will be of interest to scholars from various disciplines including anthropology, gender studies, African studies, psychology, and global health.

A moving portrait of the contemporary experiences of migrant Moroccan men. Umbria is known to most Americans for its picturesque rolling hills and medieval villages, but to the many migrant Moroccan men who travel there, Umbria is better known for the tobacco fields, construction sites, small industries, and the outdoor weekly markets where they work. Marginalized and far from their homes, these men turn to Moroccan traditions of music and poetry that evoke the countryside they have left- l-'arubiya, or the rural. In this book, Alessandra Ciucci takes us inside the lives of Moroccan workers, unpacking the way they share a particular musical style of the rural to create a sense of home and belonging in a foreign and inhospitable nation. Along the way, she uncovers how this culture of belonging is not just the product of the struggles of migration, but also tied to the reclamation of a noble and virtuous masculine identity that is inaccessible to Moroccan migrants in Italy. The Voice of the Rural allows us to understand the contemporary experiences of migrant Moroccan men by examining their imagined relationship to the rural through sound, shedding new light on the urgent issues of migration and belonging.

seeks to intervene in critical academic conversations by traversing different historical periods and different geographic locations within the African Diaspora, to expand the global reach of black women's stories challenges the ahistorical lens of U.S.-based women's and gender studies scholarship which has marginalized women's histories and erased the racial, class, sexual, and geographical differences of women's experiences Uses interdisciplinary scholarship in critical race and feminist theories, literary and art histories, and media studies to tell a new kind of Black Feminist History

As the field of sexuality studies has become a growth area in academia and classes on sexuality studies are incorporated into various disciplines, the expanding book market has been filled with specialist oriented texts which are often theoretically focused and contain too many summaries for an undergraduate audience. Addressing this imbalance, this key new volume presents the field of sexuality in an accessible and engaging way for undergraduates. Breaking new ground, both substantively and stylistically, this book offers students, academics and researchers an accessible, engaging introduction and overview of this emerging field. Its central premise is to explore the social character of sexuality, the role of social differences such as race or nationality in creating sexual variation, and the ways sex is entangled in relations of power and inequality. Through this novel approach, the field of sexuality is considered, for the first time, in multicultural, global, and comparative terms and from a truly social perspective. This important volume consists of over fifty short and original essays on the key topics and themes in sexuality studies, and interviews with twelve leading scholars in the field which convey some of the most innovative work being done. Each contribution clearly conveys the latest research with examples. Ideal for students of gender and sexuality studies, this topical and timely volume will be an invaluable resource to all those with an interest in sexuality studies.

'Fierce. Game-changing. Urgently necessary. Brilliant, brilliant and did I say brilliant?' EMMA THOMPSON 'Pacy, vivid, compelling and very, VERY funny ... it will help so many' MARIAN KEYES 'A fucking classic. Required reading for all women and men and I believe it's going to be the book of 2022' BRYONY GORDON 'Fuck, this is good. Every page feels important' LUCY VINE Actor, writer and hopeless romantic Rebecca Humphries had often been called crazy by her boyfriend. But when paparazzi caught him kissing his Strictly Come Dancing partner, she realised the only crazy thing was believing she didn't deserve more. Forced into victimhood by the story, Rebecca chose to reclaim her power, posting her thoughts on social media, including advice for other women who might be experiencing what she realised she'd managed to escape: a toxic, oppressive relationship. A flood of support poured in, but amongst the well-wishes was a simple question with an infinitely complex answer: 'If he was so bad, why did you stay?' Empowering, unflinching and full of humour, this book takes that question and owns it. Using her relationship history, coming of age stories and experiences since the scandal during Strictly, Rebecca explores why good girls are drawn to darkness, whether pop culture glamourises toxicity, when a relationship 'rough patch' becomes the start of a destructive cycle, if women are conditioned for co-dependency, and - ultimately - how to reframe disaster into something magical. 'The best [book] about relationships since Three Women' CAROLINE SANDERSON, THE BOOKSELLER 'So funny and heart-breaking. So stunningly written. For any woman who has been asked 'why did you stay?', Rebecca Humphries' book is a hilarious and brilliant read' SUSAN WOKOMA 'Very, very good' PANDORA SYKES 'A magical, magical book' GLAMOUR 'So thoughtful and moving and funny and sad and great, I love it so, so much. I resented having to put it down' DAISY BUCHANAN 'Her thought-provoking story should be required reading for anyone in a relationship' DAILY MIRROR 'A memoir every woman needs to read' RED MAGAZINE 'This book isn't an ice-cold revenge opus; it's a diary of self-discovery, a celebration of friendship, resilience and finding one's self-worth...is it worth the hype? Absolutely: I had to stop myself from reading it one grateful gulp' LAURA PULLMAN, STYLE

Critical Thinking presents, defines and explains the intellectual skills and habits of mind that comprise critical thinking and its relationship to social justice. Each of the sequential chapters includes detailed examples and learning exercises that guide the reader step by step from intellectual competency, to critical thinking, to cultural cognition, and to critical awareness necessary for social justice. The book documents and explains the scope of multiple crises facing society today, including environmental destruction, income and wealth inequality, large-scale human migration, and the rise of autocratic governments. It shows how critical thinking, cultural cognition, and critical awareness lead to the possibility of solutions grounded in social justice. All college students, especially those in the social sciences and humanities, will develop the intellectual skills necessary for critically engaging information in order to become active learners and effective agents in the world. This book complements information in introductory, interdisciplinary, or discipline-specific courses. Every chapter contains examples and exercises that can be assigned as homework, adopted as in-class activities, or both. The Conclusion also contains exercises for developing writing and basic mathematical competency skills.

Men are in crisis. From every direction, they are presented with a deformed masculinity. One that sees women as conquests rather than partners. One that values success at work over success at home. One that hinders true and open friendships with other men who hold them up and hold them accountable. One that presents them as either the bumbling, disconnected dad in sitcoms or the predator in movies and video games (and the news). Men were made for more than this. It's time to rekindle the fire living inside of them and awaken them to the value of valiant, righteous manhood. Through inspiring stories and hard-hitting biblical truths, Stephen Mansfield uncovers the seven fires that ought to burn in a man's soul--the fires of destiny, heritage, friendship, love, battle, legacy, and God. This raw guide to the restoration of a noble, honorable manhood will challenge men of every generation to live well, invest in others, and leave a powerful legacy. "Being a man isn't about the illusions mass media presents to us as the way we all should live our lives. Stephen Mansfield is going to make this clear . . . and he's going to call you to be the man you are meant to be."--from the foreword by Scott Hamilton, four-time national and world champion and Olympic gold medalist "A brilliant and absolutely essential book! Mansfield's prose cuts through the cultural darkness like a lighthouse shining across a storm-tossed sea."--Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author "My friend Dr. Stephen Mansfield's new book, Men on Fire, takes us back to the kind of timeless knowledge, wisdom, and truth that have served as a guide for countless generations of men throughout history. It will inspire you to awaken that age-old drive and restore that inner voice that says, 'I can do this. Thank God for another chance.'"--Darrell Green, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL 100 All-Time Team "There is a war on masculinity today, one that is leaving males with neither the knowledge nor the drive to become men. Seductive sirens of secular socialism lure them into settling to be either thugs or wimps. Men on Fire is both the roadmap and the antidote. For all of our sakes, place this book in the hands of the men you most care about."--Rabbi Daniel Lapin, author, TV host, and president of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians

In this in-depth ethnography, Karin van Nieuwkerk takes the autobiographical narrative of Sayyid Henkish, a musician from a long family tradition of wedding performers in Cairo, as a lens through which to explore changing notions of masculinity in an Egyptian community over the course of a single lifetime. Central to Henkish's story is his own conception of manhood, which is closely tied to the notion of ibn al-balad, the 'authentically Egyptian' lower-middle class male, with all its associated values of nobility, integrity, and toughness. How to embody these communal ideals while providing for his family in the face of economic hardship and the perceived moral ambiguities associated with his work in the entertainment trade are key themes in his narrative. Van Nieuwkerk situates his account within a growing body of literature on gender that sees masculinity as a lived experience that is constructed and embodied in specific social and historical contexts. In doing so, she shows that the challenges faced by Henkish are not limited to the world of entertainment and that his story offers profound insights into socioeconomic and political changes taking place in Egypt at large and the ways in which these transformations impact and unsettle received notions of masculinity.

The contents include day-to-day skills such as how to besiege a castle, fire a longbow, correctly clean a maxim machine gun and capture an enemy trench; sporting sciences such as jousting, fencing and boxing (Queensbury Rules, of course); and domestic essentials such as how to hunt, kill, clean and cook a wild boar. Airmen and soldiers, knights and pages, gentlemen and rogues: to you we say pip pip, and what what! Stiffen your lip and tighten your sword belt! Tie down your trebuchets, wax your moustache, and delve into this manliest of manuals.

This volume is the first book-length study of masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders. Spanning the entire corpus of the Sagas of Icelanders-and taking into account a number of little-studied sagas as well as the more well-known works-it comprehensively interrogates the construction, operation, and problematization of masculinities in this genre. Men and Masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders elucidates the dominant model of masculinity that operates in the sagas, demonstrates how masculinities and masculine characters function within these texts, and investigates the means by which the sagas, and saga characters, may subvert masculine dominance. Combining close literary analysis with insights drawn from sociological theories of hegemonic and subordinated masculinities, notions of homosociality and performative gender, and psychoanalytic frameworks, the book brings to men and masculinities in saga literature the same scrutiny traditionally brought to the study of women and femininities. Ultimately, the volume demonstrates that masculinity is not simply glorified in the sagas, but is represented as being both inherently fragile and a burden to all characters, masculine and non-masculine alike.

Why did Americans reject the British gentleman as their dominant model of masculinity? Why is a boy's relationship to his mother a crucial factor in shaping his masculinity? What and how do boys learn about what it means to be a man? Holmberg demonstrates how David Mamet's plays provide insights into these questions, and into the masculine malaise. Through the gangsters, businessmen, soldiers, sailors, athletes, frontiersmen and thugs he created, Mamet celebrates and criticizes American macho. The book provides close readings of Mamet's well-known plays as well as plays which have not previously received the critical attention they deserve, and includes discussions of recent films and unpublished film scripts that shed light on Mamet's attitudes to American macho. Holmberg also presents detailed analysis of Mamet as director of his own plays, which gives fascinating insights into the playwright's intentions through his instructions to actors on how to play a part.

Esther Vilar's classic polemic about the relationship between the sexes caused a sensation on its first publication. In her introduction to this revised edition, Vilar maintains that very little has changed. A man is a human being who works, while a woman chooses to let a man provide for her and her children in return for carefully dispensed praise and sex. Vilar's perceptive, thought-provoking and often very funny look at the battle between the sexes has earned her severe criticism and even death threats. But Vilar's intention is not misogynous: she maintains that only if women and men look at their place in society with honesty, will there be any hope for change.

Men, Masculinities and Intimate Partner Violence examines how gender and other social identities and inequalities shape experiences of, and responses to, violence in intimate relationships. It provides new insights into men as both perpetrators and victims of violence, as well as on how to involve men and boys in anti-violence work. The chapters explore partner violence from the perspectives of researchers, therapists, activists, organisations, media as well as men of different background and sexual orientation. Highlighting the distinct and ambivalent ways we relate to violence and masculinity, this timely volume provides nuanced approaches to men, masculinity and intimate partner violence in various societies in the global North and South. This book foregrounds scholarship on men and masculinities in the context of intimate partner violence. By doing so, it revitalises feminist theorising and research on partner abuse, and brings together the fields of masculinity studies and studies of intimate partner violence. The book will be a vital resource for students and scholars in criminology, gender studies, psychology, social work and sociology, as well as those working with men and boys.

Conforming to gender stereotypes is a choice, not a requirement--you decide. This timely workbook provides a road map to help you discover what kind of man you want to be. As a teen, you may be under intense pressure to conform to society's stereotypes of masculinity--often referred to as the "guy code." Limiting and unhealthy gender stereotypes and social practices are pervasive, even across cultures, and research shows that strict adherence to the rules of the code--or extreme forms of "traditional" masculinity, such as suppressing your feelings, acting tough and in control, and objectifying girls and women--can lead to emotional issues, aggression, low self-esteem, more risk taking, misogyny and homophobia, and even negative health outcomes, like depression and anxiety. So, how do you navigate these mixed messages? This is the workbook you need. You'll find fun and engaging activities that will empower you to define what being a guy means to you--whatever that is. You'll learn all about how our world views masculinity--the good, the bad, and the toxic. You'll find tips and tools to help you face difficult thoughts and emotions, rather than trying to avoid them, and ask for help when you need it. Most importantly, you'll discover that there's no "right" way to be a guy. There's just what's right for you.

The Social Construction of Black Masculinity examines the legacy of negotiating black masculinity in a relatively free society that forced black men to justify claims of equitable humanity. The book represents an unapologetic narrative about behavioral choices by black men, which were framed by a history of forced distancing from their covenant with God, deliberate character assassinations, and emasculation in plain sight of their women and children.

What makes kinship queer? This collection from leading and emerging thinkers in gender and sexualities interrogates the politics of belonging, shining a light on the outcasts, rebels, and pioneers. Queer Kinship brings together an array of thought-provoking perspectives on what it means to love and be loved, to 'do family' and to belong in the South African context. The collection includes a number of different topic areas, disciplinary approaches, and theoretical lenses on familial relations, reproduction, and citizenship. The text amplifies the voices of those who are bending, breaking, and remaking the rules of being and belonging. Photo-essays and artworks offer moving glimpses into the new life worlds being created in and among the 'normal' and the mundane. Taken as a whole, this text offers a critical and intersectional perspective that addresses some important gaps in the scholarship on kinship and families. Queer Kinship makes an innovative contribution to international studies in kinship, gender, and sexualities. It will be a valuable resource to scholars, students, and activists working in these areas.

This book considers mass media and contemporary cultural trends to examine masculinity at a point of unprecedented change. While sexual and gender politics have always been fraught, the long unexamined privilege associated with masculinity is now subject to intense scrutiny marked by a host of complex factors. As past markers of masculine norms have been challenged on cultural, social, and economic fronts, men occupy public space ever aware that how they interact with others is questioned and questionable. What does manhood mean? Who is included in its dominant formations? What performances signify membership in the club? How are men reading this contemporary moment and to what extent does cultural literacy inform, maintain, or challenge normative male identities and subsequent performances? This work examines such questions through language and symbolic meaning, and challenges its readers to critically examine what men know and how they understand and embody gender and sexuality in a post-millennial society. Gender, Sexuality, and the Cultural Politics of Men's Identity in the New Millennium: Literacies of Masculinity crosses academic disciplines and will be highly relevant in composition/rhetoric, gender studies, masculinity studies, and cross-curricular courses that take up popular/contemporary culture as well as gender, sexuality, race, and class. It has been designed with both undergraduate and graduate students in mind.

South Africa remains a global leader in the legislative protection of individuals who engage in same-sex relations, and is the only country in Africa where the rights of these individuals are explicitly recognized and protected by the constitution. Yet South Africa's identities are still contested and evolving, particularly for same-sex desiring teachers - many are forced to locate their sexualities privately for fear of being ostracized, bullied or losing their jobs, resulting in the miseducation of young people in schools. This volume reveals the various ways in which black South African male teachers construct their sexual and professional identities, how they accommodate structural dictates while simultaneously resisting them, and the effect this has on students. Presenting the day-to-day experiences of eight same-sex desiring teachers within repressive contexts, this volume challenges the Western origins and assumptions of queer theory, particularly its inability to confront communal forms of social organizing and its focus on individual agency. It asks for more socially responsive theorizing that takes into account the role played by location, race, class, gender and sexual identification within South African and international contexts.

"I can unequivocally say that this is the book every man needs." --Mark Groves, human connection specialist and founder of Create The Love Suck it up. Stuff it down. Pour a bottle of whiskey over the top. Rinse and repeat until sufficiently numbed. This is the step-by-step doctrine men are taught. Men have traded in their internal leadership, sovereignty, and even masculinity for comfort, validation, and an escape from the mundane boardroom of their existence. Where is the modern-day strength training for the hearts and minds of men? In Men's Work, ManTalks founder Connor Beaton offers the tactical, self-led guide men have been looking for. Here, he destigmatizes inner work by reframing it as a kind of psychological warrior training that many men can relate to and have been craving. Beaton walks you through a framework for facing the hidden and rejected aspects of yourself--factors that lead to self-sabotage, anxiety, and depression. Through real-life stories from men he's worked with and guidance in practical, accessible exercises, he takes you on a three-part journey to uncover and free yourself from the thoughts, emotions, and patterns that hold you back. When you face off with those pieces in place, that's when you'll: - Live with clear purpose and direction - Build your skills to win at relationships - Gain better control of your anger - Learn how to regulate your mind, body, and emotions, even under stress and conflict - Become fearless and at peace with your journey Men's Work focuses on the unique challenges that men with psychological and emotional wounds so often grapple with--while giving you the tools to heal and return to society in a way that is both empowering personally and beneficial for all. "The goal of this work is not only to become a better man," says Beaton, "but a better participant in the collective enterprise of living. True freedom awaits."

In this modern day and age, it is surprising that managerialist perspectives, practices and ideas are colonising the study of sexualities in organisation. A timely intervention into the contemporary vitality of queer theories, Queer Business is an innovative book length exploration of how queer theory has been used in management and organisation studies, with the aim of broadening and deepening queer scholarship in this discipline. Through both scholarly and original empirical research, Rumens also seeks to demonstrate how queer theory has been mobilised in MOS and how it might be advanced in a field where it has yet to become exhausted and cliched. In particular, this volume shows how scholars can use queer theory concepts to explore how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sexualities and genders are understood and experienced in the workplace. Challenging notions of LGBT+ inclusivity in the workplace through concepts such as queer liberalism and homonormativity, Queer Business will appeal to scholars, undergraduate and postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers interested in fields such as management and organisation studies, queer studies, gender studies, sexuality studies, organisational theory and cultural studies.

Although over the last two decades there has been a proliferation of gender studies, transgender has largely remained institutionalised as an 'umbrella term' that encapsulates all forms of gender understandings differing from what are thought to be gender norms. In both theoretical and medical literature, trans identity has been framed within a paradigm of awkwardness or discomfort, self-dislike or dysfunctional mental health. Marginal Bodies, Trans Utopias is a multidisciplinary book that draws primarily from Deleuze and post-structuralism in order to reformulate the concept of utopia and ground it in the materiality of the present. Through a radically new conceptualisation of the time and space of utopia, it analyses empirical findings from trans video diaries on the Internet belonging to transgender individuals. In doing so, this volume offers new insights into the everyday challenges faced by these subjectivities, with case studies focusing on: the legal/social impact of the UK's Gender Recognition Act 2004, boundaries of public and private as evidenced within public toilets, and the narrative of the 'wrong body'. Contextualising and applying Deleuzian concepts such as 'difference' and 'marginal' to the context of the research, Nirta helps the reader to understand trans as 'unity' rather than as a 'mind-body mismatch'. Contributing to the reading and understanding of trans lived experience, this book shall be of interest to postgraduates and postdoctoral researchers interested in fields such as Transgender Studies, Critical Studies, Sociology of Gender and Philosophy of Time.