Manhood in America: A Cultural HistoryFree Press, 1996 - 544 pages In a time when psychologists are rediscovering Darwin, and much of our social behavioral is being reduced to ancient, hard-wired patterns, Michael Kimmel's history of manhood in America comes as a much needed reminder that our behavior as men and women is anything but stable and fixed. Kimmel's authoritative, entertaining, and wide-ranging history of men in America demonstrates that manhood has meant very different things in different eras. Drawing on advice books, magazines, political pamphlets, and popular novels and films, he makes two surprising claims: First, manhood is homosocial - that is, men need to prove themselves to each other, not to women. Second, definitions of manliness have evolved in response to women's movements. When women act, men react. Originally, manliness was an internal virtue and a democratic ideal - British men were viewed as fops, and American men had to be independent, honest, and responsible. By the 1890s, however, manhood changed to masculinity, something that had to be constantly proven through the new explosion of sports, fraternities, and fashion. Finally, in 1936, Lewis Terman, the creator of the IQ test, developed an "M-F" test to analyze adolescents' masculinity and femininity. Until well into the 1960s, the test penalized boys who preferred to draw flowers instead of forests, or who knew that a teacup was used for drinking tea. But just as Terman's categories and questions seem outdated to us, so will our own standards seem temporary to our successors. |
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Page 30
... organization of the working day . 46 In their workshops , apprentices , journeymen , and master craftsmen integrated work and leisure . Customers would appear , contract for specific tasks , and socialize and wait while it was being ...
... organization of the working day . 46 In their workshops , apprentices , journeymen , and master craftsmen integrated work and leisure . Customers would appear , contract for specific tasks , and socialize and wait while it was being ...
Page 107
... Organized in 1869 as a secret society by Philadelphia garment workers , the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor grew to become America's first mass - membership labor organization , counting between two and three million ...
... Organized in 1869 as a secret society by Philadelphia garment workers , the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor grew to become America's first mass - membership labor organization , counting between two and three million ...
Page 167
... organization began to promote " Athletic Sundays , " during which boys would gather for morning Bible study and afternoon lectures by famous sports figures like Amos Alonzo Stagg , the legendary Yale football coach , or members of the ...
... organization began to promote " Athletic Sundays , " during which boys would gather for morning Bible study and afternoon lectures by famous sports figures like Amos Alonzo Stagg , the legendary Yale football coach , or members of the ...
Contents
The Birth of the SelfMade Man | 13 |
SelfControl and Fantasies of Escape | 43 |
PART | 79 |
Copyright | |
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