Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities

Book excerpt: In the past, research in the field of gender has mainly addressed issues about women, and has for the most part been developed by women. Recently, the study of gender has rapidly expanded and there has been a growing interest in men′s and boys′ identities, conduct, and problems. The Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities is an interdisciplinary and international culmination of the growth of men′s studies that also offers insight about future directions for the field. The Handbook provides a broad view of masculinities primarily across the social sciences, with the inclusion of important debates in some areas of the humanities and natural sciences. The various approaches presented in this Handbook range across different disciplines, theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and conceptualizations in relation to the topic of men. Editors Michael S. Kimmel, Jeff Hearn, and Robert W. Connell have assembled an esteemed group of contributors who are among the best-known experts in their particular fields. The Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities examines the construction of masculinities in four different frames: the social organization of masculinities in their global and regional iterations; the institutional reproduction and articulation of masculinities; the ways in which masculinities are organized and practiced within a context of gender relations; and the ways in which individual men express and understand their gendered identities. The Handbook is organized in a way that moves from the larger, global, and institutional articulations of masculinities, to the more intimate and personal expressions. The Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities provides scholars, researchers, and students with the most current, incisive scholarship available for the men′s studies area of gender studies. It is a vital resource for those interested in the practical or cultural issues about men, boys, and gender, as well as an excellent addition to any academic library.