Abstract:
Following introductory remarks on how the terms “masculinities” and “men” have
been used differentially in recent critical studies on men and masculinities (CSMM),
the article reviews some key aspects of CSMM - past, present and future. The
diverse influences on CSMM have included various feminisms, gay studies, anti imperialism, civil rights, anti-racism, green and environmental movements, as well as
LGBTIQþ movements, Critical Race Studies, Globalization/Transnational Studies,
and Intersectionality Studies. In the present period, the range of theoretical and
political approaches and influences on studies continues to grow, with, for example,
queer, post-, post post-, new materialist, posthumanist, and science and technology
studies, making for some discontinuities with established masculinities theory. In
many regions, there are now more women working explicitly and long-term in the
area, even if that is itself not new. CSMM have also become more geographically
widespread, more dispersed, more comparative, international, transnational, post colonial, decolonializing, globally “Southern”, global, globalized and globalizing; thisdiversifying feature is transforming CSMM. Key areas for future research are iden tified, including the relations of men and masculinities to: first, ecology, environment
and climate change; second, ICTs, social media, AI, robotics and big data; third,
transnational/global, transnational institutions and processes; and, fourth, national ism, racism, authoritarianism, neo-fascism and political masculinism. Together, these
make for a “lurking doom”. At the same time, there is a whole range of wider
theoretical, methodological, epistemological and ontological questions to be taken
up in CSMM much more fully in the future.
