The History of Men: Essays on the History of American and British Masculinities

by Michael S. Kimmel

Michael S. Kimmel is Professor of Sociology at Stony Brook University, State University of New York. He has written and edited many books, including The Gender of Essays on Male Sexuality , also published by SUNY Press, and The Gendered Society, Second Edition . He is also the editor of Men and Masculinities , a leading journal in the field.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Gender Studies

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2005

About the author

Michael Scott Kimmel is an American sociologist, specializing in gender studies. He is among the leading researchers and writers on men and masculinity in the world today. The author or editor of more than twenty volumes, his books include The Politics of Manhood, and The History of Men (2005).

His documentary history, "Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in the United States, 1776-1990" (Beacon, 1992), chronicled men who supported women’s equality since the founding of the country. His book, Manhood in America: A Cultural History (1996) was hailed as the definitive work on the subject. Reviewers called the book "wide-ranging, level headed, human and deeply interesting," "superb...thorough, impressive and fascinating."

His most recent book, Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (2008) is a best-selling investigation of young people’s lives today, based on interviews with more than 400 young men, ages 16-26. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem said that "Michael Kimmel's Guyland could save the humanity of many young men – and the sanity of their friends and parents."

Kimmel holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in New York, and is a spokesperson of NOMAS (The National Organization For Men Against Sexism).

He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.

Reviews

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the first part of the book, or the essays on American Masculinities. Overall, I thought the first seven chapters were a good overview of the evolution of masculinity in the United States. I also enjoyed Kimmel's semi-radical politic throughout that shone through in the criticisms of masculinity through the first seven chapters.

I have two qualms, and the first pertains to the last chapter regarding men's relation to the feminist movement: the conversation was limited to the relations between men and women instead of examining the contributions and men's relation to those who operate and exist outside of the binary. This is an incredibly important portion of examining American masculinities that was not included, despite Kimmel's last sentence stating that men can contribute to "sexual equality and gender justice." I understand so many people don't mean to be trans-exclusionary, but they are and this is an example of that.

My second issue is that while there are very brief discussions about the relationship between men and masculinity (and a great deal of material that the reader can use to piece an argument or a narrative together), there wasn't more of an explicit exploration of this like there was, for example, of the way masculinity has shaped American presidents and politic.

Overall, though, I thought that this was very interesting and informative, albeit repetitive at certain points due to overlap. Definitely worth a read to those who are interested in the history of masculinity in the United States.