Masculine Power and Gender Equality: Masculinities as Change Agents Russell Luyt • Kathleen Starck Editors Masculine Power and Gender Equality: Masculinities as Change Agents Editing contributions from Ashley Brooks, Rosemary Lobban, Sam Martin and Daragh McDermott Editors Russell Luyt University of Greenwich London, United Kingdom Kathleen Starck University of Koblenz-Landau Landau, Germany ISBN 978-3-030-35161-8 ISBN 978-3-030-35162-5 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35162-5 (eBook) © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Contents 1 2 3 4 Only for the Brave? Political Men and Masculinities: Change Agents for Gender Equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russell Luyt and Kathleen Starck 1 The Politics of Absent Men or Political Masculinities Without the Polis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff Hearn 15 Male Agents of Change and Disassociating from the Problem in the Prevention of Violence against Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen R. Burrell 35 Change among the Change Agents? Men’s Experiences of Engaging in Anti-Violence Advocacy as White Ribbon Australia Ambassadors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kenton Bell and Michael Flood 5 Men in Finance for Emancipatory Social Change? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anika Thym 6 At Odds with Feminism? Muslim Masculinities in the Swedish “No Handshake” Debate in Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joakim Johansson and Mehrdad Darvishpour 55 81 99 7 “Men Have the Power”: Male Peer Groups as the Building Blocks of Political Masculinities in Northern Thailand. . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Cassie DeFillipo 8 “I Present a Role Model of Fluid Masculinity…”: Gender Politics of Pro-Feminist Men in an Israeli High School Gender Equality Intervention Programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Yaron Schwartz v vi Contents 9 The Masculinization of Gender Equality: How Efforts to Engage Men May “Throw Women’s Emancipation Overboard” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Iris van Huis and Cliff Leek 10 Concluding Critical Commentary: Men’s Experiences as Agents of Feminist Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Michael Flood and D’ Arcy Ertel Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 About the Authors Kenton Bell is a researcher, teacher, and anti-violence advocate at the University of Wollongong, Australia. His research is focused on men and masculinities, solutions-oriented approaches to preventing violence, and the teaching and learning of sociology. Stephen R. Burrell is an early career researcher in the Department of Sociology at Durham University (United Kingdom), where he is based within the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse. He is currently undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, building on his PhD research which investigated efforts to engage men and boys in the prevention of men’s violence against women in England. Mehrdad Darvishpour is an associate professor and senior lecturer in Social Work at Mälardalen University Sweden. He has conducted a number of studies on the theme of gender, ethnicity, and conflicts of power in immigrant families. Cassie DeFillipo is currently completing her PhD in Anthropology and Development Studies at the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne Australia. Her doctoral research analyzes men’s constructions of manhood through sexual decision-making within the backdrop of Northern Thailand, a vibrant and emerging socio-scape where the traditional interlaces with the transnational. D’Arcy Ertel is a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology)/Bachelor of Justice (majoring in Criminology and Policing) student at the Queensland University of Technology Australia. She has been involved in the development and delivery of a number of international community projects and is interested in pursuing further research in the areas of human rights, foreign affairs, and gender equality. vii viii About the Authors Michael Flood is an internationally recognized researcher on men, masculinities, gender equality, and violence prevention. He is the author of Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention (2018) and the lead editor of Engaging Men in Building Gender Equality (2015) and The International Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities (2007). Jeff Hearn is senior professor of Gender Studies at Örebro University, Sweden; professor emeritus, Hanken School of Economics, Finland; professor of Sociology at the University of Huddersfield, UK; professor extraordinarius at the University of South Africa; and honorary doctor at Lund University, Sweden. His recent books include Men of the World: Genders, Globalizations, Transnational Times (Sage, 2015); Engaging Youth in Activism, Research and Pedagogical Praxis: Transnational and Intersectional Perspectives on Gender, Sex, and Race (coedited with Tamara Shefer, Floretta Boonzaier, and Kopano Ratele, Routledge, 2018); and Unsustainable Institutions of Men: Transnational Dispersed Centres, Gender Power, Contradictions (coedited with Ernesto Vasquez del Aguila and Marina Hughson, Routledge, 2019). He is currently completing a book on age and organizations, with Wendy Parkin, for Sage 2020. Iris van Huis is a lecturer in the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the University of Amsterdam. She has received her PhD at the Nijmegen School of Management, Department of Political Science, Radboud University Nijmegen. Her research and teaching experiences are in migration, gender studies – with a focus on masculinities – social (policy) interventions, and urban sociology. Joakim Johansson is an associate professor and senior lecturer in political science at Mälardalen University Sweden. He has conducted a number of studies that touched on various aspects of masculinity in contexts of Swedish politics. Cliff Leek is an assistant professor of Sociology at the University of Northern Colorado and vice president of the American Men’s Studies Association. He received his PhD at Stony Brook University. His primary research interest is in the ways in which individuals and groups in positions of privilege engage in social justice activism. He writes, speaks, and consults on issues of masculinity, whiteness, workplace inequalities, violence, and activism. Russell Luyt heads the School of Human Science at the University of Greenwich (London, United Kingdom). His research interests include areas relating to identity, self, and attitudes, aggression and conflict, media, mixed method research, research philosophy, and qualitative methodology. His work grounded within a critical perspective and has to date focused primarily on the social psychology of gender and sexualities. About the Authors ix Yaron Schwartz is an activist in the field of preventing gender-based violence in Israel. He specializes in creating educational curricula for teaching safe and healthy gender and sexual practices for all grade levels. His fields of expertise are gender and education and the critical studies on men and masculinities. For the last 6 years, he has served as the gender studies coordinator in the Hartman religious high school for boys in Jerusalem. Kathleen Starck is professor of Cultural Studies at the University of KoblenzLandau, Germany. Her research interests include gender studies, particularly masculinity studies, Cold War cultures, populism, postcolonial studies, popular culture, contemporary drama, as well as post-socialism. She has published widely on masculinities, with a particular focus on the “political.” Anika Thym is a gender researcher and lecturer at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Her PhD project is “Power and Critique: A Study on Critical (Self) Reflections by Men in Leading Positions in the Financial Sector.” Her research interests are gender and social theory, critical studies on men and masculinities, social studies on finance, feminist critique and politics, reproduction and care, and gender equality, diversity, and excellence in higher education. Chapter Summaries Chapter1: Only for the Brave? Political Men and Masculinities: Change Agents for Gender Equality Russell Luyt and Kathleen Starck This chapter draws on recent debates concerning the concept of political masculinities and its application, including the contributors’ work to this volume, to critically consider its definition and use. In doing so, we identify and discuss areas of critique, including: ‘a singular or multiple concepts of political masculinities’, ‘locating political masculinities within a conceptual landscape’, and ‘understanding power and political masculinities’. We argue that the concept of political masculinities holds continued theoretical and applied value as demonstrated in its use in understanding men and masculinities’ contribution as, or in support of, “change agents” for gender equality. An associated literature highlights the specificities and potential pitfalls of political men and masculinities as agents of change. These are very different from the challenges that women face when engaging in the struggle for gender equality. And yet the benefit of men’s involvement as, or in support of change agents for gender equality, is clear. The need for critical consideration of these pitfalls and men’s self-reflection concerning their contribution toward progressive gender change is necessary. But accepting this, the need for men’s pro-feminist engagement remains undiminished. Chapter 2: The Politics of Absent Men or Political Masculinities without the Polis Jeff Hearn This chapter interrogates political masculinities as agents for change through the prism of absence, without the polis. Following an initial discussion of political masculinities in relation to, first, mainstream politics, and, then, feminism, possible changes in political masculinities formed through absence, and their implications for profeminist men’s politics, are interrogated. Three main forms of absence are xi xii Chapter Summaries examined: absences by transnational/global processes, beyond the nation; technological absences, of virtuality and disembodiment in cyberspace; and bodily absences, as, for example, with ageing. These changes, and moreover their interconnections, are seen as creating new gender power structures, but also offering some signs of hope, with greater transnational connections, collaborations and indeed new subversive political masculinities. Chapter 3: Male Agents of Change and Disassociating from the Problem in the Prevention of Violence against Women Stephen R. Burrell This chapter explores the complex and contradictory nature of political masculinities within efforts to engage men and boys in the prevention of men’s violence against women. It discusses findings from 14 expert-informant interviews with activists who have played an influential role in developing this work in the UK context. These interviews drew attention to how, for male agents of pro-feminist change, political masculinities are also profoundly personal. Transformations in the self are thus as important as bringing about change in others in this work − otherwise men risk reproducing the same patriarchal inequalities that they seek to dismantle. One significant barrier to critical self-reflection for men involved in preventing violence against women is that of disassociation; a perception and construction of oneself as being separate from the problem in relation to other men, men’s violence itself, and patriarchal relations. Resisting disassociation is therefore vital in order for pro-feminist men to recognise how they continue to be implicated the perpetuation of violence against women. This requires male agents of change to move beyond a sense of shame about their position within patriarchy − and to understand how they engage in political masculinities as they work to prevent men’s violence against women. Chapter 4: Change among the Change Agents? Men’s Experiences of Engaging in Anti-Violence Advocacy as White Ribbon Australia Ambassadors Kenton Bell and Michael Flood How does men’s participation in the social movement to prevent violence against women change their relationships with other men and with women? How does it affect their understanding and practices of masculinity? This chapter offers a case study of White Ribbon Australia’s Ambassador Program, which involves men as public anti-violence advocates, inviting them to ‘stand up, speak out and act’ to influence other men’s attitudes and behaviours towards women. Drawing on an online survey (n = 296), complemented by in-depth interviews (n = 86), this research examines men’s perceptions of the meaning and significance of their involvement as advocates for the prevention of violence against women and how to improve advocacy outcomes to end men’s violence against women. These male advocates report that they have changed how they relate to other men, to a lesser extent how they relate to women, and that they have greater commitments to promoting gender equality and to reflecting on their roles as men. Moreover, they report that because Chapter Summaries xiii of their involvement they are engaged as active bystanders and agents of change. The findings of this research could have practical implications for the efforts to improve the engagement of men as agents of change. Chapter 5: Men in Finance for Emancipatory Social Change? Anika Thym This chapter addresses the question of how men contribute to achieving gender equality and, more broadly, emancipatory change, by focusing on a social group that is usually less associated with emancipatory change and critique, and more with the (re)production of hegemonic masculinity and the hegemony of men: men in leading positions in the financial sector. It uses a threefold perspective on the political dimension of gender: concerning a person’s mode of existence, their agency and concerning the political constitution of the social. This question of how men in leading positions in the financial sector struggle with and question gender relations in their workplace, and the role their industry plays in society, is followed up by analysing two published autobiographical books by men who were in prestigious senior positions in the financial sector. They describe (self)critical reflections on their work and life. These autobiographies show how the ‘personal is political, gendered and economic’, to adapt the feminist slogan, from their specific inside angle and thereby offer insights into potentials and challenges for gender equality as an aspect of emancipatory change on an individual, institutional and societal level. Chapter 6: At Odds with Feminism? Muslim Masculinities in the Swedish “No Handshake” Debate in Newspapers Joakim Johansson and Mehrdad Darvishpour Can Muslims, and in particular Muslim male politicians, retain their Muslim identities and customs in predominantly non-Muslim countries while simultaneously “buying-in” to feminism? What challenges/critiques can Muslim feminists offer to “white feminism” in order to make it more intersectional? The aim of this chapter is to study the making of Muslim masculinity and gender equality in the “no handshake” debate that took place in Sweden in 2016 when the refusal of Green Party politician Yasri Khan to greet women by shaking hands gained some notoriety. Yasri Khan represents a catalyst in the debate about the meaning of gender equality, and hence, a political masculinity acting as an agent of change. Based on articles in the four major Swedish daily newspapers, a thematic analysis is performed. This suggests that Yasri Khan challenges stereotypical images of Muslims often reproduced by non-Muslim Westerners. He combines Muslim customs and beliefs with a commitment to tolerance and gender equality. He identifies as Swedish, Muslim, “soft” and as a vulnerable man. Thus, the findings highlight the possibility of positive change in Muslim masculinity. However, reproducing the heterosexual matrix, the masculinity of Khan contained retrogressive elements as well. This limits the potential for positive change in contrast to the political masculinities of Muslim men who were critical of Khan’s ‘no handshake’ in non-heteronormative ways and thereby xiv Chapter Summaries clearer in their commitment to gender equality. Muslim feminism points to the possibility of combining a strong religious commitment with a commitment to gender equality. Chapter 7: “Men have the power”: Male Peer Groups as the Building Blocks of Political Masculinities in Northern Thailand Cassie DeFillipo The activity of visiting female sex workers in Northern Thailand is a social event that males do with friends, peers, and business associates. This pattern of homosociality has tied sexual activity to performances of masculinity and normalized the local demand for sex work in Northern Thailand. In the wake of these homosocial norms, this paper serves as an exploration of homosocial spaces as spaces for change within Thai empirical performances of political masculinities. Drawing upon ethnographic research, this chapter will demonstrate that male peer-group bonding over sexual experiences currently sets the building blocks for gender relations in Thailand. This paper will argue that homosocial settings serve both as spaces where inequalities are perpetuated and as spaces that allow men to negotiate their performances of political masculinities. Homosocial settings thus have the capacity to create agents of change within political masculinities where inequalities among men and between women and men are challenged. Chapter 8: “I Present a Role Model of Fluid Masculinity…”: Gender Politics of Pro-Feminist Men in an Israeli High School Gender Equality Intervention Programme Yaron Schwartz This chapter analyses dilemmas of gender politics faced by men defining themselves as “pro-feminists” who moderated a gender equality intervention programme for boys in Israeli schools between the years 2003–2013. The moderators faced the following quandary: In order to be successful, they needed to be accepted as legitimate role models by their students. But to gain that acceptance, they needed to identify with traditional normative masculine attitudes that undermined the very pro-feminist ideology they sought to teach. Moderators resolved the dilemma with a model they called “fluid masculinity”, which claimed to simultaneously adopt pro-feminists’ ideas, while maintaining core values of traditional normative masculinity. This model was invoked to justify ignoring violent behaviour, legitimating sexist comments and sexual violence, normalizing pornography, rejecting ideas of gender equality and avoiding discussion of homosexuality. Our analysis suggests instead to see the model as one of “fragmented masculinity”, pro-feminist in title alone, while in substance delivering messages with the potential to reinforce violent, chauvinistic, sexist and homophobic attitudes and behaviours. Chapter Summaries xv Chapter 9: The Masculinization of Gender Equality: How Efforts to Engage Men May “Throw Women’s Emancipation Overboard” Iris van Huis and Cliff Leek Involving men in gender equality is a complicated task. Many men do not recognize the possibility of having more equitable lives with women and people of other genders, or they may feel threatened by the idea of losing privilege (Connell 2005; Connell 2010). Despite these difficulties, there have been efforts to involve men in gender equality through work being done internationally, by large non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the United Nations (UN), and locally, in projects funded by NGOs in civil society. One of the most common strategies to involve men is to make gender equality about the men themselves: by masculinizing gender equality, or “men-streaming” gender equality (Chant and Gutmann 2002). This paper demonstrates the masculinization of gender equality efforts both in local efforts and at the level of international development discourse. We illustrate this shift with evidence from content analysis, interviews with involved professionals, and participant observations, showing a need for awareness of mechanisms that fade the goal of gender equality and for strategies that keep women and girls as beneficiaries of gender equality interventions. Chapter 10: Concluding Critical Commentary: Men’s Experiences as Agents of Feminist Change Michael Flood and D’Arcy Ertel What role do men have in the work of challenging gender inequalities and building gender justice? This chapter examines the experiences of men as deliberate agents of a feminist masculinity politics, exploring key challenges in men’s efforts to take up profeminism. This first challenge is overcoming one’s own sexist and violencesupportive attitudes and behaviours. Men may be disinterested in or resistant to efforts to involve them in progressive change because of widespread sexist and violence-supportive attitudes and relations. Second is the challenge of addressing one’s own perpetration or perpetuation of sexism and violence. It is tempting and comforting for men to believe that the perpetrators are only ‘other’ men, or indeed to offer the defensive protest that it is ‘not all men’. A third challenge is to live gender-equitably. Men’s anti-sexist work takes for granted a ‘prefigurative’ politics, in which men must ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’, but male allies’ and advocates’ actual practice shows both anti-patriarchal change and sexist complicity. The fourth challenge is to resist everyday privilege. Men are routinely invited into everyday sexism, whether by male peers or the wider culture, and sexist gender relations also shape ostensibly progressive political spaces. Profeminist men must navigate what is a delicate politics of male allyship, negotiating both disproportionate praise and feminist distrust. Beyond all this, there is the overarching challenge of making change in the structures and systems of patriarchy.