Refusing to be a Man: Essays on Social Justice

by John Stoltenberg

Overview

Since its original publication in 1989, Refusing to be a Man has been acclaimed as a classic and widely cited in gender studies literature. In 13 eloquent essays, Stoltenberg articulates the first fully argued liberation theory for men that will also liberate women. He argues that male sexual identity is entirely a political and ethical construction whose advantages grow out of injustice. His thesis is, however, ultimately one of hope - that precisely because masculinity is so constructed, it is possible to refuse it, to act against it and to change. A new introduction by the author discusses the roots of his work in the American civil rights and radical feminist movements and distinguishes it from the anti-feminist philosophies underlying the recent tide of reactionary mens movements.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781841420417
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/02/1999
Series:	Gender Studies
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

John Stoltenberg is the radical feminist author of The Endof Manhood: Parables on Sex and Selfhood (rev. edn, Londonand New York: UCL Press, 2000) and What Makes Pornography “Sexy” ? (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions, 1994). He is cofounder of Men Against Pornography

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Revised Edition. Preface. Part 1. The Ethincs of Male Sexual Identity Rapist Ethics, How Men Have (a) Sex, Sexual Objectification and Male Supremacy. Part 2. The Politics of Male Sexual Identity Eroticism and Violence in the Father-Son Relationship, Disarmament and Masculinity, The Fetus as Penis: Men's Self-interest and Abortion Rights, What is Good Sex? Part 3. Pornography and Male Supremacy The Forbidden Language of Sex, Pornography and Freedom, Confronting Pornography as a Civil-Rights Issue. Part 4. Activism and Moral Selfhood Feminist Activism and Male Sexual Identity, Other Men, Battery and the Will to Freedom. About the Essays. Notes.

Editorial Reviews

Stoltenberg, a radical feminist author and cofounder of Men Against Pornography, argues that male sexual identity is entirely a political and ethical construction, and that its advantages grow out of injustice. Because it is so constructed, he says, it is possible to refuse it, to act against it, and to change. He here adds a new introduction to the 1989 first edition, published by Breitenbush Books, discussing the roots of his work in the American civil rights and radical feminist movements, and distinguishing it from recent reactionary men's movements. Distributed by Taylor & Francis. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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