Descente au cœur du mâle. De quoi #MeToo est-il le nom ?

by Raphaël Liogier

In this timely, self-reflective essay, a groundbreaking sociologist and philosopher examines the underlying causes of gender inequality and how we can fight against it.

Following the shocking, infuriating accounts shared as part of the #MeToo movement, Raphaël Liogier felt compelled to apply his academic expertise to shed light on the roots of gender inequality and its many manifestations, including catcalling, workplace harassment, and rape, as well as the glass ceiling and the gender pay gap. In the brazenness of Donald Trump, who brags about groping women, in the hypocrisy of outspoken progressives whose private behavior belies their so-called feminist ideals, and even occasionally in the good intentions of men such as Liogier who strive to be allies, we can see the influence of a deep-seated fantasy of male dominance.

With candor and clarity, Liogier demonstrates that the archetypal Prince Charming and a monstrous predator such as Harvey Weinstein are two sides of the same coin—products of a worldview that not only places a man's desires above a woman's, but also doubts whether women are fundamentally capable of knowing what they want. Recent years have witnessed significant progress toward gender equality, from the ousting of prominent men accused of sexual misconduct to the unprecedented popularity of the 2019 Women's World Cup. Heart of Maleness maps out the crucial work still to be done, first and foremost addressing the core male fantasy about women's bodies and minds.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Sociology, Gender Studies, Essays

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Raphaël Liogier (born in 1967) is a French sociologist and philosopher. He received his PhD in social sciences at the University Paul Cézanne (Aix-Marseille) in France, where he also received master's degrees in public law and in political science. Other degrees include a degree in philosophy from the University of Provence, and a Masters of Science (MSC) by research in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Liogier has also studied social sciences as a visiting undergraduate at the University of California at Berkeley.

Reviews

[Mel Bossa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and hard hitting little book on the #metoo movement. Full of truth and calm observations. It validated my struggle and pain without feeding my rage. Left me feeling peaceful but determine to plant my heels in the ground and continue the work I started a long ago. To be my own best friend and resist the urge to please men at whatever cost.

[Geoffrey Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little essay I hope many men will read, especially if you have been skeptical or puzzled by the vehemence of the MeToo movement. Liogier says he wrote it because he was "aghast" (his word) at some of the things that came out in the trials of his countryman, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and of Weinstein, and revelations about Trump and his closest buddies' abuses of women, just because they could. And probably because, as he tells us, he has a teenage daughter. He wrote it to cure his own ignorance of the terrible history of abuse and degradation of women, and to seek answers to his questions as to why and how generally it occurs. Very generally, as his readings of anthropological and other literature make clear, from earliest times and in all parts of the world. He takes pains to "explode... the myth" of matriarchal societies existing in the remote past; the most we can say, from the literature, is that there have been societies where women were better off and equal or nearly equal to men, but nowhere did women rule (property, tribal laws, etc.) as have men most typically. For many men, this book can serve as a quick introduction to gender studies, with a useful starter bibliography. Women may want to read it, too, out of curiosity and for things they may not be aware of, but I doubt that his argument about how we guys can be so crude will be news to any adult woman. It is embarrassing to us men, at least those of us who care about a partner, a daughter, or about other human beings.

[DRugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An analysis of masculinity in relation to the MeToo movement. It helped me articulate the long term and deep rooted currents of our gendered culture.

[Célia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce livre est un nouveau contrat social, on dirait le manifeste d'une nouvelle tendance de société. Espérons que cela se révélera juste !

[Ariane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bonne lecture, à mettre entre les mains de néophytes dans la lutte contre le patriarcat. On n'apprend pas grand chose si on s'intéresse déjà au féminisme, mais puisque le livre est assez simple et écrit par un homme, il me semble que ça pourrait être une bonne lecture d'intro pour le type d'homme qui veut pas trop donner l'air de s'intéresser à ces questions-là, justement.
L'attrait du livre est qu'il est très simple et explique en quelques lignes des idées qui ont été théorisées dans des ouvrages plus complets. Personnellement, les passages sur la prostitution et une ou deux remarques sur le viol (vers la page 110) m'ont agacée. Le passage sur le kimono japonais était malavisé.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

En soi, ce petit livre est plutôt bien. Mais... Je trouve que l'auteur cite bien peu d'autrices féministes, qui ont pourtant développé des idées proches des siennes. Un peu gênant pour un homme pro-féministe, non ?

[Clémentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

C’est plutôt un 3,5/5. J’ai beaucoup aimé suivre la pensée de Liogier, philosophe et sociologue, sur la montée en flèche de mouvement #MeToo. Son point de vue étant celui d’un homme est d’autant plus intéressant. Il explique très bien, s’aidant parfois de quelques références, pourquoi et comment les femmes ont été « soumises aux hommes » (je mets des guillemets car j’extrapole un peu) et apporte quelques idées sur comment #MeToo et les voix des femmes peuvent changer la donne.

J’avais découvert Liogier dans le podcast des « Couilles sur la Table » et avais trouvé à ce moment-là ses propos très justes. Son essai met un peu plus en lumière sa pensée. Une lecture plutôt instructive !

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek is een echte aanrader voor iedereen die toch een beetje voor de gelijke rechten tussen man en vrouw opkomt. Ik ben het niet altijd eens met de auteur, dit mag echter niet verkroppen dat dit onderwerp de dag van vandaag nog altijd brandend actueel is.

Zoals ik al zei ben ik niet altijd akkoord met de analyses van de auteur en ben ik van mening dan sommige problemen andere oorzaken kennen. Soms lijken me de analyses een beetje kort door de bocht.

Je moet wel vrij open staan al man om dit boek te lezen, ik denk dat menig macho snel brandhout gaat maken van de analyse.

[Shenine Wangmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

j'ai beaucoup apprécié l'épilogue intitulé transvaluation qui permet de regarder/vivre le présent et l'avenir avec plus d'équilibre, sans discrimination == ce livre devrait être au programme philo dès la première au lycée

[Debs · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[June C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outlook on masculinity in France which didn’t differ a lot from American misogyny. Really good to see men approaching hegemonic masculinity head on and not beating around the bush. Thought this was a good beginning for this author but would love to see him tackle other subjects within gender studies as I’m curious how his outlook might differ. Great read

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is misleading. I was expecting a discussion of maleness in relation to the status of women from a male perspective. But only the short introduction and the epilogue touch upon this in any way. The rest is a discourse on the current and historic inequality of the sexes, with not much new insight offered.
I suppose it would be a good introduction to the topic of gender inequality for male readers more comfortable with a male author on the subject (ironically).

[Emma Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written and thought-provoking book. I highly recommend to any men that seek to empower the women in their lives, any women that seek to empower themselves and ask for more, and anyone that has ever known a woman. Learn how you can do your part to reanalyze the circumstances in which you have been raised.