Men, Masculinities and Health: Critical Perspectives

Abstract

Reviews the book Men, masculinities and health: Critical perspectives edited by B. Gough, & S. Robertson (2010). The main body of the text is structured into three parts, followed by a succinct editorial afterword that summarizes and synthesizes the book’s main themes. This is a worthwhile and accessible book that will appeal not only to medical sociologists but others interested, or working, in men’s health. The range of materials presented, from different disciplinary perspectives, means that this is an informative read and it is one that I have learnt much from. However, in the spirit of the editors’ goal of promoting more complex and nuanced debate I will finish with some brief critical remarks concerning two topics that I have researched and which emerge in this book; namely, bodybuilding and obesity discourse. Despite the goal of promoting critical perspectives, at times I felt some contributors could have offered a more informed and sociologically incisive critique. This is an important and timely contribution to debate and one that I would recommend to a wide readership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)