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 But just as Terman's categories and questions seem outdated to us, so will our own standards seem temporary to our successors.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 72
... example , a defense of slavery by James Gordon Bennett , editor of the New York Herald , was saturated with gendered language . Bennett feared that middle - class pieties would feminize the nation . “ They would snatch the convivial ...
... example , a defense of slavery by James Gordon Bennett , editor of the New York Herald , was saturated with gendered language . Bennett feared that middle - class pieties would feminize the nation . “ They would snatch the convivial ...
Page 286
... example , remaining cool under pressure on the one hand and giving ' em hell on the other hand pull men in opposing directions . Pleck argued that the MSRI was a testable hypothesis , not an established scientific fact ; for that matter ...
... example , remaining cool under pressure on the one hand and giving ' em hell on the other hand pull men in opposing directions . Pleck argued that the MSRI was a testable hypothesis , not an established scientific fact ; for that matter ...
Page 340
... example : HORSE cow hay race swim Draw a line under the word that seems to you to go best or most naturally with HORSE ; that is , the word that HORSE tends most to make you think of . Second example : AUTO danger gears machine ride ...
... example : HORSE cow hay race swim Draw a line under the word that seems to you to go best or most naturally with HORSE ; that is , the word that HORSE tends most to make you think of . Second example : AUTO danger gears machine ride ...
Contents
The Birth of the SelfMade Man | 13 |
SelfControl and Fantasies of Escape | 43 |
Captains of Industry White Collars | 81 |
Copyright | |
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