Masculinity research and global change

Abstract

The development of research on masculinity since the 1980s has produced rich evidence of the diversity of masculinities. This is now an established research field and has had many practical applications. It has not yet fully absorbed the wealth of ideas and debates about masculinities and social change that come from the colonized and postcolonial world. Power has always been an important issue in understanding masculinities, and we now need to think about power structures on a world scale. Research on neoliberal globalization, on HIV/AIDS, and on elite masculinities, are significant sites for this work. The concept of hegemonic masculinity is still useful, but it should not be equated with violence. We need to pay attention to incoherences in gender relations, and the politics of gendered institutions, in thinking about inequality and change.