Challenging Violence In Schools: An Issue of Masculinities

by Martin Mills

This book explores the relationship between violence and masculinity within schools. There is a clear need to explore this relationship. A substantial amount of evidence exists which demonstrates how boys are the major perpetrators of violence in schools - from extreme acts of violence such as school shootings in the US to more common forms of schoolyard bullying - and that both girls and boys are their victims. The book suggests that violence has been masculinized in such a way that boys often perpetrate violence as a means of demonstrating their perception of what counts as a valued form of masculinity. This masculinization of violence has often meant that girls experience violence from boys who are seeking to demonstrate their superiority over girls, and it has also meant that some boys often experience violence due to their non-conformity to dominant images of masculinity. In order to support these arguments the book draws on extensive interview data collected from boys and teachers who were involved in anti-violence programmes in their schools.

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001