Destabilising Manhood and Masculinity

“Bob Pease exposes masculinity’s ties to violence, misogyny, and environmental destruction. With incisive analysis and activist insight, Pease charts pathways for men to unlearn dominance, embrace ethical subjectivities, and foster justice beyond binaries.”
—Tristan Bridges, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States

“With grace and accessibility, in this book, Bob Pease weaves together theoretically rich concepts, micro- and macro-politics, and an interrogation of men, masculinity and gender. Pease engages men in new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that takes flight from violence and domination towards becoming peaceful and more socially-just.”
—Ryan Coulling, Providence University College and Theological Seminary, Canada

“This book is a much needed critique of the idea that the answer to all the harms of gender can somehow just be more gender.”
—Finn Mackay, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

“A vital and timely contribution to contemporary studies of masculinity, urging us to rethink not only how we conceptualise gender but also how we might move beyond entrenched categorisations altogether.”
—Andrea Waling, Lancaster University, UK

This book addresses the debate within feminism and critical studies of men and masculinities on whether men should be encouraged to develop alternative masculinities, or whether they should be challenged to renounce masculinity altogether. It argues that men have to move beyond the illusion of masculinity to address their habitual ways of relating that reinforce dominance and oppression and instead foster subjectivities that are multiple and fluid. Tracing the nature of the problem associated with men, masculinity and gender, Pease examines the implications of feminist engagements with Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari to explore the possibilities of destabilising and moving beyond manhood and masculinity.

The book will be of interest to scholars in Sociology, Psychology, Social Work and Environmental and Gender Studies, especially as they relate to critical studies of men and masculinities.

Bob Pease is Honorary Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University and Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania.