Manhood in America: A Cultural HistoryIn 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 But just as Terman's categories and questions seem outdated to us, so will our own standards seem temporary to our successors.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 3
And these meanings become one of the poles around which our experiences
revolve.2 The women's movement made gender visible — at least to women.
Courses on gender in the universities are populated largely by women, as if the
term ...
And these meanings become one of the poles around which our experiences
revolve.2 The women's movement made gender visible — at least to women.
Courses on gender in the universities are populated largely by women, as if the
term ...
Page 96
Others' solutions were more conventional, simply advocating lynching and
murder.42 Social Darwinists also lent new force to biological arguments about
the differences between women and men. They had plenty of opportunities to
make their ...
Others' solutions were more conventional, simply advocating lynching and
murder.42 Social Darwinists also lent new force to biological arguments about
the differences between women and men. They had plenty of opportunities to
make their ...
Page 97
all, are woman's best and chief qualities," warned Edward Bok, editor of the
Ladies' Home Journal in 1893. 46 Another writer claimed that women's
independence would make men lose interest in them. "A state of independence
always begets ...
all, are woman's best and chief qualities," warned Edward Bok, editor of the
Ladies' Home Journal in 1893. 46 Another writer claimed that women's
independence would make men lose interest in them. "A state of independence
always begets ...
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MANHOOD IN AMERICA: A Cultural History
User Review - KirkusKimmel (Sociology/SUNY, Stony Brook) applies the methodology of feminist history to the experience of being male in America. Rejecting the idea that almost every history book is about the male ... Read full review
Manhood in America: a cultural history
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictKimmel, a noted men's studies authority, coeditor of Against the Tide (LJ 2/1/92), and editor of The Politics of Manhood, reviewed below, presents in his own words the first cultural history of men in ... Read full review
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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