Erkekler Hayvan midir?;Modern Macoluk Erkekligi Ucuzlatir mi?

by Matthew C. Gutmann

"Boys will be boys," the saying goes -- but what does that actually mean? A leading anthropologist investigates


Why do men behave the way they do? Is it their male brains? Surging testosterone? From vulgar locker-room talk to mansplaining to sexual harassment, society is too quick to explain male behavior in terms of biology.


In Are Men Animals?, anthropologist Matthew Gutmann argues that predatory male behavior is in no way inevitable. Men behave the way they do because culture permits it, not because biology demands it. To prove this, he embarks on a global investigation of masculinity. Exploring everything from the gender-bending politics of American college campuses to the marriage markets of Shanghai and the women-only subway cars of Mexico City, Gutmann shows just how complicated masculinity can be. The result isn't just a new way to think about manhood. It's a guide to a better life, for all of us.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Kutay Kumbasar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitabın ana tezi gayet basit ve mantıklı. Kadın erkek eşitsizliğini biyoloji değil kültür açıklar. Kitapta bir çok farklı kültürden anekdotlar veriyor yazar. Bu sayesinde bu eşitsizliğin kültürler arasındaki farklılılarını görme fırsatı buluyoruz. Erkeklerin erkek olduğu için bu tarz davranışlarda bulunduğunu düşünmek sorunu basitleştirerek çözülemeyecek bir hala getirmekten öte değil. Hatta bu eşitsizlik kültürüne bazen kadınlar bile katılır. Örnek olarak Meral Akşener veya Margaret Thatcher siyasi kadın karakterler verilebilir. Tabi onların amacı bir cinsiyeti ezmek değidir ancak bu tarz alanlarda başarıya giden yolları görmek pek de zor olmamalı. Kitabı bitirdikten sonra aklıma George Orwell'ın Hayvan Çiftliği'nde söylediği o söylediği söz geldi. Kendince onu biraz çevirerek kitaba uyarladım. Bazı insanlar eşittir ve bazı erkekler daha eşittir. İşin özeti bu konuları anlamak için bir kitap okumaya gerek olmamalı bile bence ama bazı insanların uyunaması için güzel bir kitap olabilir.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping that this book brought more than a simple, no. As in, we are not our biology. There is no real alternate explanation except that epigenetics is the new phlogiston. Maybe I am being a bit harsh.

But instead of flogging Trump, Peterson and Pinker, time could have been spent pulling apart the sex/gender debate more clearly, talking about the victim underpinning as problematic in a clear way and delving more into the issues with scientific bias.

In the end, this seemed like a book of arguments to have at the ready. Much like new literature has had to change its sentences and style to a paired down style, non fiction seems to do the same. Non fiction books can build an argument but this one almost assumes that you are already on side. Maybe that works for selling books but it doesn't work for me to learn anything new.

However, it is a decent start to finding a new way out the current mode of biological determinism. Recommend to your friend who is left leaning and believes that all men are rapists and it is in their DNA.

[Savage Mind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introductory book but I feel like I didn't learn anything new. It does present the issue well though and makes you think where we should stand when it comes to issues such as sex segregation at public transportation or gender-binary. There is a chapter that offers some counter-arguments to the "testosterone" and "we are like gorillas" discourse and I 'd love to see more of that. I also liked the chapter about match-making in China. He could have used some more specific examples when it comes to research on epigenetics though and some references to Donna Haraway.
In general, a good book to buy if you have no idea on the issue and want to un-learn old ideas about "male nature" but it doesn't have a lot to offer to people who are already well read on the issue of masculinity.

Note: I listened to the audio book and it was very easy to follow

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like a meandering conversation with someone so ideas got a little tied up occasionally.

[Blane W. Yelton Jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author makes many valid points, but at times, draws conclusions that don’t necessarily follow from the facts presented. Overall, this is a thought provoking book worth reading.

[Rebeca]

dnf

[Glenn Harden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief summary of this book: Are men animals? No, they are not. Stop saying "boys will be boys". Stop using bad science to imply men can't change. Men are not bound by biology to be violent or unfaithful. Believe in us.