This new book addresses the historical 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. Bob Pease argues that men have to move beyond the illusion of masculinity to address their habitual ways of relating that reinforce dominance and oppression, and that they have to discard their adherence to binary gender identities and foster subjectivities that are multiple and fluid. Pease traces the nature of the problem associated with men, masculinity and gender and he 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 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.
Endorsements
In Destabilizing Manhood and Masculinity: Unbecoming Men in a Violent Gender Order, Bob Pease critiques patriarchy through feminist theory, posthumanism, and Deleuzo-Guattarian philosophy. He exposes masculinity’s ties to violence, misogyny, and environmental destruction, while advocating a break from rigid gender norms. With incisive analysis and activist insight, Pease charts pathways for men to unlearn dominance, embrace ethical subjectivities, and foster justice beyond binaries. Essential reading for scholars and changemakers envisioning a post-patriarchal future.
Tristan Bridges, Professor of Sociology and Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States and co-author of A Kaleidoscope of Identities: Reflexivity, Routine, and the Fluidity of Sex, Gender, and Sexuality.
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. This builds a framework that challenges understandings of power that academics and students in an array of disciplines will find generative and generous. Most importantly, 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, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Providence University College and Theological Seminary.
This book is a lively and vital intervention into the popular folk tales about men and masculinity that still dominate culture and institutions; seductive, comforting narratives that placate and excuse a societal valorisation of eroticised and masculinised power as a force to use over others, particularly the most vulnerable. The 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, and author of Female Masculinities and the Gender Wars (Bloomsbury, 2021).
Destabilising Manhood and Masculinity: Unbecoming Men in a Violent Gender Order offers 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. Through an exploration of feminism, queer theory, abolitionism, assemblage, and environmentalism, Pease moves towards an approach that resists fixed identity, instead foregrounding fluidity, instability, and interconnection. Engaging deeply with Deleuze and Guattari, Pease carefully highlights the utility of nomadic becoming and subjectivity in this endeavour. The breadth of scholarship covered is extensive, offering a thorough and considered overview of how masculinity, gender, and ‘man’ have been theorised in academic research. More than a critique, this book provides an alternative mode of thinking—one that is essential if we are to adequately confront the violence of patriarchy.
Andrea Waling, Senior Research Fellow, Division of Health Research and Sociology, Lancaster University, and author of Exploring the Cultural Phenomenon of the Dick Pic, (Routledge, 2024).
This book is a massive achievement in thinking about, and beyond, men and masculinities, and the best thing written on the topic in years. It also covers key historical and contemporary debates around gender in an engaging way, but takes them to new places. Pease resists falling into tired debates and oppositional thinking, proposing an exciting new politics and practical strategies to challenge gender. It is radical and challenging while remaining accessible and grounded. This feels like a culmination of Pease’s lifetime of thinking about how we can address the issues of men, masculinity and violence. This is a book both for people thinking about gender for the first time, and people who are well versed in ideas about gender and masculinity. Ultimately it is a stirring treatise on the problems of gender, and what to do about them. This is a theoretically, politically, and practically thrilling read and goes to places few writers have. Read it, engage with it, share it, discuss it.
Lucy Nicholas, Associate Professor, Director of Sexualities and Genders Research, Western Sydney University. Co-author (with Christine Agius) of The Persistence of Global Masculinism: Discourse, Gender and Neocolonial Rearticulations of Violence (Palgrave Macmillan 2018).
Buy the book from Springer here.