Spark Talk: “No Exit: Endlessly Modifying Masculinity” by Matthew Gutmann (March 21st, 2025)
Mar 21, 2025
10:30AM to 11:30AM
Date/Time
Date(s) - 21/03/2025
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Description: In the contemporary world, it often seems that every thought and action by self-identified men must be described with one or another adjectival form of masculinity (toxic, alternative, emerging, etc.). This presentation/workshop explores why we can reject the notion that everything a woman does must be attributed to her femininity or womanhood, but we are far more comfortable doing the same with men. When is it useful to talk about one or another strain of masculinity (for instance in studying suicide rates) and when does it land us in more trouble? Is there a future for masculinity?
Bio: Matthew Gutmann is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Brown University. His books and articles have focused especially on men and masculinities, public health, politics, and militarism. He has conducted most of his ethnographic and other studies in Mexico, the United States, and China.