Shame! and Masculinity

by Ernst van Alphen (Editor)

Since the #MeToo movement, the masculine exercise of power has been closely scrutinised. The focus on “toxic” masculinity impacts our perception of male sexuality, which substantially influences the self-image and self-esteem of men. Men are being shamed by others, and they also feel ashamed. This book explores both positions, examining the representation of male sexuality, nudity, fatherhood, violence, rape, fascism and virility, and men and war from male as well as female perspectives. It presents artworks that deal with the intricacies and contradictions of these sociocultural constructs and realities, and combines scholarly essays with short stories and personal testimonies.

Genres: Art

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

Reviews

[Felix Guo · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ in Visual Culture: great article looking at art history, how shame is depicted between men (incapacity for nude shame) and women (as inherent in femininity.

Virility and Fascism: focuses on WWI and impact of such an incomprehensible and harmful war on the ideals of stoic masculinity. Italian fascism arose as a response to this threat (and its social militarization during peacetime is very relevant today in response to current wave of feminism and the LGBT movement). Also interesting were the Fascists policies used to promote a Fascist domestic life. It talks about its fall, due to popular rejection of these Fascist private life rules, the fatigue from Fascist performance by WWII, and the deification of the superficial (and feminine) display of Mussolini.

Post-Patriarchal Authority: essentially a critique of Koerselman’s pro-patriarchal opiniom, while also looking at alternatives from the vertical patriarchal authority and provides ideas on a horizontal authority. Interesting introduction into the subject, although I personally felt like psychoanalysis itself especially Freudian theory didn’t bring too much.

Wahbie Long: a dissection of race politics in South Africa and how shame and envy fits within Scheler’s framework of ressentiment to explain student-protests. A very relevant essay and really gave a new perspective on student protests, university decolonization, and how they fail to provide meaningful, definite structural changes and is moreso a reaction mechanism to one’s own felt injustice, shame, and misdirected anger. After discussing the violence of economic leveling, the essay ends on a lighter note and hopes that radical non-violent empathy and respect can bring about change.

The essays by Goldschmidt, Enigbokan, and Miller were also interesting self-reflections into their own traumas, lived experiences, shame and conceptions of masculinity.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was disappointing: I think the subject is well worth investigation, but this is a disparate collection of essays that are loosely related to sexuality and sexual identity, couched mostly in sterile academic language. The interesting contributions were the more personal ones, like Tijs Goldschmidt’s short story fragments and Philip Miller’s childhood memoir, and the art.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Linde Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super veel interessante materie maar bleef wat te oppervlakkig of neutraal ofzo. Ook veel voorbeelden aangehaald waarbij ik ze wat overbodig vond maar al bij al wel een interessante study

[Albert Buchreitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic, but walks in circles a lot